Typhoons exert substantial impacts on upper-ocean physical and biogeochemical processes through strong air-sea interactions. Previous studies have demonstrated that typhoon-induced ocean responses, including sea surface temperature (SST) cooling and upper-ocean biological changes, are jointly controlled by atmospheric forcing and pre-existing ocean conditions. However, the relative importance of typhoon forcing and ocean stratification in determining air-sea responses remains insufficiently quantified.
Building upon previous composite analyses of typhoon-induced ocean responses in the Northwest Pacific, this study aims to quantitatively assess the relative contributions of typhoon characteristics and upper-ocean stratification to ocean variability. Satellite observations, typhoon best-track data, and ocean reanalysis products are integrated to construct a comprehensive dataset of typhoon events and corresponding ocean responses. Key forcing factors include typhoon intensity and translation speed, while ocean stratification is represented by pre-typhoon mixed layer depth and upper-ocean thermal structure. The relative contribution analysis further reveals that the dominance of atmospheric forcing and oceanic control varies across different response variables and environmental regimes.
This study provides a quantitative framework for disentangling the coupled effects of typhoon forcing and ocean stratification on air-sea interactions and contributes to improved understanding and prediction of typhoon-ocean feedback processes in the Northwest Pacific.