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Email:
leonardochow1998@link.cuhk.edu.hk

Education:

M.phil. candidate, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2020-2022

BSc in Earth System Science, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2020


Tsun Ngai CHOW


Research Interests:

  • Impact of global warming on tropical cyclones
  • Interactions of tropical cyclones with the background synoptic environment using high-resolution WRF model

Research Projects:

(All figures below are subject to copyright, and are allowed to be used only with permission from the owner.)

Anthropogenic warming will alter the atmospheric and ocean environment, hence influencing tropical cyclone activities in the future. To a medium-to-high confidence that global tropical cyclone mean intensity in terms of lifetime maximum surface wind speed will have an increase by 5%, and differs among different ocean basins. Using high-resolution WRF model with a 15km and 3km nesting grid, future tropical cyclones intensity and structure due to thermodynamical changes in RCP8.5 and RCP4.5 emission scenario in the near and far future were simulated by pseudo-global warming technique. In the South China Sea Region, the intensities of the tropical cyclones in terms of maximum wind speed (Vmax) were simulated to have an increase under a warming environment. Moreover, the Radius of Maximum wind (RMW) of the simulated tropical cyclones was expected to have a decrease. Mean tropical cyclones’ size, defined as the radius of the gale-force wind (r17), were simulated to have minimal changes. However, the changes of Vmax, RMW and R17 among different tropical cyclones have a large variability. Relations of the changing sea surface temperature, vertical temperature profile, relative humidity and the vertical wind shear to the intensities and structures of the tropical cyclones were examined using multiple linear regression analysis.

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Azimuthally averaged surface wind profile fitted by Holland Model in near and far future under RCP8.5 and RCP4.5 emission scenario of Tropical Cyclone Rammasun (2014) during its peak intensity in the South China Sea region, indicating an increase in surface maximum wind speed and a decrease in the Radius of Maximum wind.