COMPARISON OF SOME TROPICAL CYCLONE DATASETS AND CORRECTION OF YEARBOOK DATA

This is a study to compare three selected tropical cyclone datasets separately compiled by CMA Shanghai Typhoon Institute (CMA_SHI), the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC), and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The annual frequencies, observation times and destructive power index as the characteristic quantities are investigated of the tropical cyclones over the western North Pacific. The comparative study has resulted in the following findings: 1) Statistical gaps between the datasets compared are narrowing down as the intensity of tropical cyclones increases. 2) In the context of interdecadal distribution, there is for the 1950s a relatively large gap between the datasets, as compared with a narrowed gap for the period from the mid 1970s to the 1980s, and a recurring widened gap for the mid and late 1990s. Additionally, an approach is proposed in the paper to correct the wind speed data in the TC Yearbook.