TOKYO: The Japan Meteorological Agency announced Friday (Aug 28) that Typhoon No. 23 had formed in the northern Pacific, the 10th typhoon since the start of August.
This year, Japan has seen a flurry of typhoons, marking the first time in 60 years that 10 typhoons have formed in a single month. An expert explained this could be caused by the influence of a large-scale cyclonic circulation of air that has formed in the waters south of Japan, known as a “monsoon gyre.”
A “monsoon” refers to a seasonal wind pattern, while “gyre” refers to a circular motion. Therefore, a monsoon gyre is a massive, counterclockwise circulation of air over a vast area spanning several thousand kilometres.
This phenomenon occurs during summer every few years and creates ideal conditions for the formation of typhoons. This year, a monsoon gyre formed in early August.
According to Ryuichi Kawamura, professor emeritus of meteorology at Kyushu University, the “El Nino” phenomenon, in which sea surface temperatures off the coast of Peru in South America remain abnormally high, would be the source of this monsoon gyre.
Kawamura said the phenomenon caused typhoon formation areas to shift eastward, and interactions between the typhoons and the monsoon blowing from the west have consequently strengthened the monsoon gyre. As a result, many more typhoons have formed this year.
“Although a monsoon gyre is less likely to form in September, the conditions conducive to the formation of powerful typhoons due to the El Nino phenomenon remain unchanged,” Kawamura said, urging the public to stay vigilant. - The Japan News/ANN
