JMSJ Highlights
Editor's Highlight : Ito et al. (2025)
Ito, K., Y. Miyamoto, C.-C. Wu, A. Didlake, J. Hlywiak, Y.-H. Huang, T.-K. Lai, L. Pattie, N. Qin, U. Shimada, D. Tao, Y. Yamada, J. A. Zhang, S. Kanada, and D. Herndon, 2025: Recent research and operational tools for improved understanding and diagnosis of tropical cyclone inner core structure.
J. Meteor. Soc. Japan
,
103
.
https://doi.org/10.2151/jmsj.2025-008
Early Online Release
Graphical Abstract
Editor in charge: Wataru Yanase
-
I highlight this paper which reviews recent studies on the inner core structures of tropical cyclones (TCs) along with relevant operational practices (Editor in charge: Wataru Yanase).
- This paper is designed to assist in organizing the available information on the TC inner core structure and motivate further research for a broader community.
- To build upon existing reviews of the TC inner core structure, the review largely focused on literature published since 2018. However, for better understanding, we begin with basic TC dynamics and conventional theories if needed and refer some studies published before 2018.
Abstract
The inner core of a tropical cyclone (TC) is vital for TC energetics and often undergoes dramatic changes. This article provides a review on the understanding and operational practices of the structural changes in the TC inner core, mainly focusing on recent literature and activities. The inner core structure of a TC is generally described as an axisymmetric vortex in the vicinity of a hydrostatic and gradient wind-balanced state. However, this schematic can sometimes be oversimplified. Recent studies have documented small-scale features of the inner core, structural changes in TC rapid intensification, secondary eyewall formation, and eyewall replacement cycles using observational data, and idealized and sophisticated models. In line with the progress in understanding the inner core structure, several operational agencies have recently analyzed TC structural changes using their subjective analyses or diagnostic tools, contributing to disaster prevention. We also discuss potential impacts of climate change on the inner core structure, for which further work is required to reach a solid conclusion.