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Abstract

This paper presents a framework involving the use of remote sensing imagery and image processing techniques to analyze a 2014 super typhoon, Typhoon Nuri, and the cold occlusion that occurred in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. The purpose of this study was to predict the tracks and profiles of Typhoon Nuri and the corresponding association with the induction of cold front occlusion. Three-dimensional typhoon profiles were implemented to investigate the in-depth distribution of the cloud top from surface cloud images. The results showed that cold fronts and southwesterly airflow accompanied by warm air masses occurred at the front ends of the typhoon during winter, and that cold front occlusion was further intensified by the interactions between these aspects. Over the course of Typhoon Nuri’s track, the occluded front grew in length because of its relatively rapid movement, enabling it to pull the edge of the super typhoon. The extension of the occluded front caused the typhoon track to turn and weaken. The occluded fronts were distributed with various lengths of 180-2,880 km and swaths of 40-1,040 km. Temperatures of cloud tops from surface cloud images increased from -55 to -25℃, implying the presence of a typical warmtype occluded front. The cold fronts and southwesterly airflow induced the cold occlusion, revealing a new aspect regarding the occurrence of the cold occlusion associated with typhoon movement and the cause of a decrease in typhoon intensity. A wide variety of weather patterns could be observed along the occluded fronts, with the possibility of thunderstorms and cloudy conditions accompanied by patchy rain or showers.

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