Spatiotemporal Variability of Tropical Cyclone Activity over the Arabian Sea (1982–2021): Tracks, Energy Metrics, and Duration

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are among the most dangerous types of weather, originate over warm tropical oceans and can seriously harm people, infrastructure, ecosystems, and country economies. The Arabian Sea is an important area for the development of TCs, but not much research has been done on how cyclones behave there over time and in different seasons. This study looks at TC activity over the Arabian Sea from 1982 to 2021, focusing on TC tracks, energy metrics, including the accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) and power dissipation index (PDI), and TC duration. The results show a big change in TC tracks over time and between seasons. In the pre-monsoon, northwest and northeast tracks are the dominant tracks, whereas in the post-monsoon, northwest and westward tracks are the most common. There has been a big increase in the ACE, the PDI, and the lifespan of TCs, especially in the post-monsoon season, over the second half of the study. The study also looks at how large-scale synoptic characteristics, like sea surface temperature (SST), vertical wind shear (VWS), upper-level winds, sea level pressure (SLP), and relative humidity (RH) affect the behavior of TCs. The results show that higher SSTs and lower VWSs have made TCs stronger and last longer. Also, upper-level winds, SLP, and RH are significant for changing the paths of TCs. This study provides a comprehensive, seasonally resolved look at how TC activity has changed over the past four decades in the Arabian Sea. It also gives us new insights into how environmental factors have affected TC behavior over time.