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Performance of CYGNSS-based MTrack for asymmetric tropical cyclones

Determine how well the MTrack system based on Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) winds locates the centers of asymmetric tropical cyclones, quantifying its center-fixing accuracy and limitations in asymmetric structures relative to symmetric cases.

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Background

The MTrack system (Mayers and Ruf 2019) uses CYGNSS surface wind observations to estimate tropical cyclone center positions and has demonstrated reductions in best-track center uncertainty in some contexts.

Despite this promise, the system’s performance for asymmetric storms—common during various stages of cyclone evolution and in environments with significant shear—has not been established, leaving uncertainty about its operational reliability across storm structures.

References

The MTrack system developed by Mayers and Ruf (2019) was shown to reduce uncertainty in the best-track TC center (dataset described in Section 2a), but it is unclear how well this system works for asymmetric storms.

— Center-fixing of tropical cyclones using uncertainty-aware deep learning applied to high-temporal-resolution geostationary satellite imagery (2409.16507 - Lagerquist et al., 24 Sep 2024) in Section 1c (Approaches using cloud-derived or measured wind)