SEE Emeritus Professor Johnny Chan Co Authors Influential Study in Nature Geoscience

The School of Energy and Environment (SEE) at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) is pleased to announce that Emeritus Professor Johnny C. L. Chan has co‑authored a significant research paper published in Nature Geoscience, titled “Landfalling tropical cyclones accelerate due to land–sea thermal and roughness contrasts”.

This impactful study offers new insights into the dynamics of tropical cyclones, with a particular focus on how their translation speed changes before and after landfall. Unlike previous studies that examined long‑term average behavior, this research systematically evaluates short‑term variations, revealing that tropical cyclones tend to accelerate upon landfall due to the sharp contrasts in thermal properties and surface roughness between land and sea.

These findings represent an important advancement in tropical cyclone science, deepening our understanding of near-landfall storm behavior and its implications for disaster preparedness and risk management. As faster‑moving storms can significantly affect the scale, distribution and severity of impacts, the research provides meaningful insights for communities vulnerable to extreme weather events.

Prof. Chan’s contribution reflects SEE’s strong commitment to advancing climate science, extreme weather research and climate resilience, reinforcing CityUHK’s position as a leader in environmental and sustainability innovation.

The full article is available in Nature Geoscience: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41561-025-01891-1