An Exploratory Framework for Cyclone Identification and Tracking.

Area of Science:

• Meteorology
• Atmospheric Science
• Geophysics

Background:

• Analyzing depressions is crucial for understanding cyclone dynamics and temporal evolution.
• Existing depression tracking methods face challenges due to the ill-defined nature and changing characteristics of cyclones.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robust pipeline for identifying and tracking cyclones and their temporal evolution.
• To create a generic framework for cyclone exploration that overcomes the challenges of their dynamic nature.

Main Methods:

• Combines topological approaches for cyclone identification with optical flow analysis for detailed tracking.
• Identifies cyclones using topological concepts and computes candidate tracks from optical flow fields.
• Clusters tracks within a moving time window to identify coherent movements, followed by a final tracking step.

Main Results:

• The proposed method requires fewer intuitive parameters compared to previous approaches.
• Successfully tracks cyclones in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
• Demonstrates effectiveness through multiple case studies, identifying smooth and representative cyclone tracks.

Conclusions:

• The developed framework provides an effective and robust solution for cyclone tracking and temporal evolution studies.
• The integration into an exploratory framework enhances the study of cyclone movement.
• The method's reliance on fewer parameters makes it more accessible and user-friendly for meteorological research.