A Mysterious New Breed of Tropical Cyclone Has Just Been Identified

For something as chaotic as the wind, meteorology tends to have a good grasp on the types of air patterns we might expect to see.

It seems that one has remained under the radar. Scientists have discovered a new type of tropical storm that occurs several times a year off the coast of Sumatra.

There are storms in the southeastern Indian Ocean. They start swirling in the winter and spring in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Boreal Summer Oscillation is a phenomenon in which large volumes of air are close to the westerly winds.

Scientists were invited to dig further because the periodicity of these oscillations didn't match the storms' pattern.

Since 1988, there have only been three significant cooling events off the coast of Sumatra.

Researchers say the outcomes are similar to the cooling force of El Nio–Southern Oscillation.

The Indian Ocean Dipole is a difference in sea surface temperatures between the tropical western and eastern zones of the Indian Ocean.

During the formation of a water-warming cyclone in the South-East Tropical Indian Ocean, northwesterly winds intensify.

During the IOD season from July to September, about 5 SETIO storms occur on average, lasting 50 days. Only one storm can happen during some seasons.

"Dramatic changes happen in some years when SETIO cyclones fail to develop, and ambient winds cause the appearance of cold seawater in a vast area strongly disturbing both winds and rainfall patterns over the Indian Ocean," said oceanographer Jochen Kaempf.

Scientists have noticed the winds that flow around Sumatra before, but they haven't been able to explain where they came from.

The authors say that the control on average equatorial winds in the eastern Indian Ocean is explained by the frequent occurrence of SETIO storms.

Most of the wind force that flows around the equator comes from hurricanes around the world.

Cold water upwellings in the southeastern Indian Ocean are suppressed by north-westerly winds similar to how La Nia upwellings are controlled.

The authors say that wind-disturbances affect the intensity of coastal upwelling.

The intensity of upwelling is not the same. easterly trade winds induce continuous upwelling in the Pacific Ocean. The effect of SETIO is that the winds in the eastern Indian Ocean tend to bewesterly.

Researchers say that a better understanding of SETIO cyclones is of paramount importance given the uncertainty of Earth's future.

The Indian Ocean Dipole is influenced by these storms and they have a strong impact on climate and rain in Australia.

A better understanding of atmospheric and oceanic currents in this part of the world will allow experts to better predict where rapid global warming is headed and how we can best prepare for future disasters.

The study was published in a journal.