An Overview of Tropical Cyclone and Tropical Meteorology Research Progress

There has been much progress in the study of tropical cyclones and tropical meteorology in China in the past few years. A new atmospheric field experiment of tropical cyclone landfall with the acronym of CLATEX (China Landfalling Typhoon Experiment) was implemented in July-August 2002. The boundary layer characteristics of the target typhoon Vongfong and the mesoscale structural features of other land-falling typhoons were studied. In addition, typhoon track operational forecasting errors in the last decade have been reduced because the operational monitoring equipment and forecast techniques were improved. Some results from the research program on tropical cvclone landfall, structure and intensity change, inten-sification near coastal waters, interaction between tropical cyclone and mid-latitude circulation, and the interaction among different scales of motion are described in this paper. Four major meteorological scien-tific experiments in China with international cooperation were implemented in 1998: