Tropical cyclones encompass virtually every subdiscipline of geophysical fluid dynamics, including cumulus convection, boundary layers, thermodynamic cycles, surface wave dynamics, upper ocean wind-driven circulations, barotropic instability, Rossby waves, and air-sea interaction. After briefly reviewing what is known about the structure, behavior, and climatology of these fascinating storms, the author provides an overview of their physics, focusing on the unique and poorly understood nature of the air-sea interface, and discusses several of the most interesting avenues of ongoing research.

© 2003 Annual Reviews