Tropical cyclones mix the upper layers of the ocean on local scales, and it has been proposed that they are important in ocean mixing at the global scale. This paper reports a calculation of how much tropical cyclones cool the surface of the ocean and the amount of mixing they induce, and finds that they are responsible for significant cooling and vertical mixing of the surface ocean in tropical regions, and that approximately 15 per cent of the total peak ocean heat transport may be associated with tropical cyclone-induced mixing.
- Ryan L. Sriver
- Matthew Huber
