On the relationship between meridional eddy transfer of angular momentum and meridional circulations in the earth's atmosphere

Summary Recent investigations have shown that the poleward flux of angular momentum across latitutde 30° N can be regarded essentially as an edey flux due to macroturbulence. Since the principal source region of atmospheric angular momentum is the frictional layer in the trade-wind zone it is necessary to have a mechanism which explains the transport of the angular momentum up to the upper troposphere and the tropopause level and into the planetary jet stream aroundlatitude 30° N. In the present paper it is shown that this transport can easily be explained by assuming the existence of a mean meridional circulation between the Equator and latitude 30°N. The mass transport in this meridional circulation cell can be computed from the empirical data for the poleward eddy flux of angular momentum presented byY. Mintz. The same data can then also be used to estimte the excess of precipitation over evaporation in the equatorial zone of the ascending branch of the circulation.

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Zusammenfassung Neuere Untersuchungen haben gezeigt, daß der Polwärtstransport des Rotationsimpulses über Breite 30° N hinaus im wesentlichen als Austauschströmung durch Makroturbulenz aufgefaßt werden kann. Da dase Hauptquellgebieet des atmosphärischen Rotationsimpulses die Reibungs-schicht der Passatzone ist, ist es notwendig, einen Mechanismus zu finden, der die Verlagerung des Rotationsimpulses bis in die obere Troposphäre und das Tropenpasausenniveau und in den planetarischen jet stream rund um den Brietenkreis 30° N erklärt. In der vorliegenden Arbiet wird gezeigt, daß diese Verlagerung durch die Annahme ener mittleren Meridionalzirkulation zwischen dem Äquator und 30° N leicht erklärt werden kann. Der Massentransport in dieser Meridionalzirkulationszelle kann aus den Empirischen Daten berechnet werden, dieY. Mintz für den turbulenten Polwärtstransport des Rotationsimpulses angegeben hat. Dieselben Werten können auch benützt werden, um den überschuß des Niederschlags über die Verdungstung in der Äquatorialzone des aufsteigenden Zirkulationszweiges zu berechnen.

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Résumé De récentes recherches ont montré que le flux du moment cinétique dirigé vers le pôle à travers la région de 30° lat. N peut être considéré comme étant essentiellement unflux dû à la macroturbulence. Etant donné que la source principale du moment cinétique atmosphérique est située dans la couche de friction dans la zone des vents alizés, il est nécessaire de trouver un mécanisme qui expliquerait le transport du moment cinétique vers la haute troposphère et le niveau de la tropopause ainsi que dans le jet stream planétaire autour du 30ème degré de latitude nord. Dans l'article suivant l'auteur montre comment il est possible d'expliquer facilement ce transport en admettant l'existence d'une circulation méridienne moyenne entre l'équateur et 30° lat. N. Le transport de masse dans cette cellule de circulation méridienne peut être calculé à partir des données empiriques indiquées parY. Mintz concernant le flux du moment cinétique dû à la turbulence et dirigé vers de pôle. Les mêmes données peuvent aussi être employées pour estimer l'excès des précipitations sur l'évaporation dans la zone équatoriale de la branche ascendante de la circulation.

     

Inverse modeling of energy transports and budgets of the atmosphere

The vertically integrated horizontal energy transports and the vertically integrated vertical energy flux divergence from ERA-40 and ISCCP are not in balance assuming a stationary climate as a time mean over several years. The reasons are the inherent uncertainties in each of the respective data sets. We therefore modify them using a variational approach with a discretization in spherical harmonics to obtain consistent values. The variational approach only modifies the smaller yet more uncertain divergent part of the flow, leaving the large rotational part untouched. From these consistent fields we can calculate posterior covariance matrices of the vertically integrated horizontal energy transport and the vertically integrated vertical energy flux divergence, providing a measure of the uncertainty of the previous calculation. We are able to use these posterior covariance matrices to give an estimate of the uncertainty of the zonally and vertically integrated meridional energy transport, which is about 0.25 PW in the tropics and 0.04 PW in high latitudes, as well as for the vertical energy flux divergence of the atmosphere, which ranges from 2.5 to 5 W/m² in the tropics to 15–17 W/m² in high latitudes.     

On the consideration of mesoscale transports in climate modelling

Summary The dynamical effect of land surface heterogeneity on heat fluxes in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is investigated using numerical simulations with a non-hydrostatic model over a wide range of grid resolutions. It is commonly assumed that mesoscale or dynamical fluxes associated with mesoscale and convective circulations simulated by a high-resolution model (subgrid (SG) model) on the subgrid scale of a climate model (large-scale (LS) model) represent additional processes in the ABL, which are not considered by the turbulence scheme of the LS-model, and which can be parameterized using the SG-model. The present study investigates the usefulness of this methodology for small-scale and large-scale idealized heterogeneities using a SG-model resolving mesoscale or even microscale circulations to compute the mesoscale fluxes on the scale of the LS-model. It is shown that the dynamical transports as derived from the SG-model should not be used to correct the parameterized turbulent fluxes of the LS-model. The reason is that the subgrid circulations simulated by the SG-model interact with the fields of wind and scalars in the ABL, which results in reduced turbulent fluxes in the ABL. Thus the methodology of previous studies to use mesoscale/dynamical fluxes for the correction of flux profiles simulated by climate models seems to be questionable.     

Mean annual poleward energy transports by the oceans in the southern hemisphere

A survey is made of the published estimates of the components of the poleward flux of energy by the atmosphere in the Southern Hemisphere in order to determine the total atmospheric transport. Together with recent measurements by satellite of the Earth's radiation budget this allows a new estimate of the required poleward energy transport by the oceans in the Southern Hemisphere for mean annual conditions. Results show that the ocean and atmosphere each contribute similar amounts for 0–30°S and that the ocean probably also transports about one third of the total at 60°S. The latter is in contrast to similar latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere where the ocean transport is negligible, but consistent with the different distribution of land and sea in the two hemispheres.     

Parameterization of meridional energy flux in a one-dimensional climate model

Summary The zonally averaged meridional energy transport is parameterized in terms of the zonally averaged temperature gradient and its radiative equilibrium value. Two climate regimes are identified: radiative equilibrium and isothermal climates. The transport and temperature gradient are intermediate between corresponding quantities of these two climates. The parameterization assumes a linear increase of transport as temperature gradient departs from its radiative equilibrium value. The parameterization is formulated using a one-dimensional climate model. Ice-albedo feedback provides the mechanism for climate changes. The parameterization works well for climates associated with seasonal changes.

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Parameterisierung des meridionalen Energiestromes in einem eindimensionalen Klimamodell

Zusammenfassung Der zonal gemittelte, meridionale Energietransport wird in Abhängigkeit vom zonal gemittelten Temperaturgradienten und seinem Strahlungsgleichgewicht parameterisiert. Zwei Klimaregime können identifiziert werden: Strahlungsgleichgewicht und isothermes Klima. Der Transport und der Temperaturgradient befinden sich zwischen den korrespondierenden Werten dieser zwei Klimate. Die Parameterisierung nimmt eine lineare Zunahme des Transportes mit der Abweichung des Temperaturgradienten vom seinem Strahlungsgleichgewichtswert an. Die Parameterisierung wird unter Verwendung eines eindimensionalen Klimamodelles formuliert. Die Eis-Albedo-Rückkopplung liefert den Mechanismus für Klimadnderungen. Die Parameterisierung funktioniert gut fur Klimate, welche jahreszeitliche Anderungen beinhalten.

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With 4 Figures     

The effect of transient eddy on interannual meridional displacement of summer East Asian subtropical jet

Using ERA-40 reanalysis daily data for the period 1958-2002,this study investigated the effect of transient eddy(TE) on the interannual meridional displacement of summer East Asian subtropical jet(EASJ) by conducting a detailed dynamical diagnosis.The summer EASJ axis features a significant interannual coherent meridional displacement.Associated with such a meridional displacement,the TE vorticity forcing anomalies are characterized by a meridional dipole pattern asymmetric about the climatological EASJ axis.The TE vorticity forcing anomalies yield barotropic zonal wind tendencies with a phase meridionally leading the zonal wind anomalies,suggesting that they act to reinforce further meridional displacement of the EASJ and favor a positive feedback in the TE and time-mean flow interaction.However,The TE thermal forcing anomalies induce baroclinic zonal wind tendencies that reduce the vertical shear of zonal wind and atmospheric baroclinicity and eventually suppress the TE activity,favoring a negative feedback in the TE and time-mean flow interaction.Although the two types of TE forcing tend to have opposite feedback roles,the TE vorticity forcing appears to be dominant in the TE effect on the time-mean flow.     

Constraints on dynamical transports of energy on a spherical planet

The factors which control the total flux of energy across a latitude belt in the atmosphere—ocean system are determined by comparing the flux resulting from various approximations with the observed flux, and by using a one-dimensional heat-balance climate model to calculate the sensitivity of the flux to the efficiency of the dynamical transports. The results show that, as long as a hemisphere is in equilibrium and as long as the structure of the atmosphere—ocean system is dominated by the planetary scale, the total flux is constrained to peak near 35° latitude, the flux per unit area to peak near 45° latitude, and the magnitude of the flux is determined primarily by the solar constant, the size of the earth, the tilt of the earth's axis, and the hemispheric mean albedo. The magnitude of the flux is insensitive to the structure and dynamics of the atmosphere—ocean system, in part because of the high efficiency of the dynamical transport mechanisms and in part because of the negative correlation between local planetary albedo and local thermal emissions to space. These results explain why the total flux and its latitudinal distribution calculated in various experiments with the GFDL general circulation model experienced relatively little modification when the hydrological cycle, mountains, or oceans were removed from the system.     

On the conversion between mean and eddy components of potential and kinetic energy in isentropic and isopycnic coordinates

Equations for the mean and eddy kinetic energy and for the mean and eddy potential energy in isopycnic and isentropic coordinates are derived, and conversion terms between the four energy forms are identified. Contrary to Lorenz' isobaric formulae, a conversion term between mean kinetic and eddy potential energy is found in the isopycnic/isentropic framework; furthermore, no term governing direct conversion between eddy and mean potential energy exists in isopycnic coordinates. The option of “re-routing” some energy conversion processes to eliminate the formal difference between the isopycnic/isentropic and the isobaric viewpoint is discussed. A numerical simulation of baroclinic instability in an isentropic coordinate model is used to illustrate the energy conversion processes.     

The role of the Atlantic freshwater balance in the hysteresis of the meridional overturning circulation

We have studied the response of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation to surface freshwater forcing using an ocean GCM coupled to an energy-moisture-balance atmosphere model. The overturning collapses rapidly when a slowly increasing forcing applied to the North Atlantic passes a positive threshold, and spins up equally quickly when the forcing falls below a negative threshold. This well-known behaviour is referred to as hysteresis because the thresholds in forcing are different for the transitions in opposite directions. However, we argue that the behaviour of the Atlantic salinity is more fundamental than the forcing. Hysteresis as a function of freshwater forcing occurs because the states with North Atlantic overturning on and off each tend to reinforce their associated salinity distributions and inhibit the transition to the other state. During the collapse, the Atlantic becomes less saline because of the import of 80 Sv year of freshwater by ocean transports across 30°S; during the spin-up this freshwater is exported again. We show that qualitatively similar hysteresis behaviour can be produced by perturbing the system without any net freshwater forcing. The salinity flip-flop is associated with the appearance and disappearance of a shallow reverse overturning circulation south of the Equator, which is present while the northern overturning is absent, and may provide the mechanism for the ocean freshwater influx during collapse.     

Validation of parametrisations for the meridional energy and moisture transport used in simple climate models

Parametrisations of meridional energy and moisture transport used in zonally averaged climate models are validated using reanalysis data and results from a doubling CO₂-experiment from a general circulation model. Global meridional fluxes of moisture and sensible heat are calculated by integrating surface and top-of-the-atmosphere vertical fluxes from one pole to the other. The parametrisations include an eddy-diffusion term, representing down-gradient transport of specific humidity and temperature due to the transient atmospheric eddies at mid- and high latitudes, and simple representations of the mean meridional circulation. Qualitative and quantitative agreement between the increased hydrological cycle in the 2×CO₂-run from the GCM and the parametrisation is found. The performance for the sensible heat flux shows larger differences to the GCM results, particularly at low latitudes. Seasonal variations of the moisture and sensible heat transport are well captured by parametrisations including the influence of the mean meridional circulation. Interannual variability cannot be simulated. An examination of the parametrisations on different spatial scales suggests that they should not be used for small scales. Furthermore, two closures for the zonal distribution of precipitation were examined. They are used in zonally averaged atmosphere models coupled to an ocean model with different ocean basins at one latitudinal belt. An assessment of both the reanalysis data and the GCM results shows that both closures exhibit very similar behaviour and are valid in the long-term mean and seasonal cycle. Interannual variability is not captured well. They become invalid for spatial scales smaller than 10^∘. Received: 30 November 1998 / Accepted: 4 July 1999     

The role of salinity in the decadal variability of the North Atlantic meridional overturning circulation

An OGCM hindcast is used to investigate the linkages between North Atlantic Ocean salinity and circulation changes during 1963–2003. The focus is on the eastern subpolar region consisting of the Irminger Sea and the eastern North Atlantic where a careful assessment shows that the simulated interannual to decadal salinity changes in the upper 1,500 m reproduce well those derived from the available record of hydrographic measurements. In the model, the variability of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (MOC) is primarily driven by changes in deep water formation taking place in the Irminger Sea and, to a lesser extent, the Labrador Sea. Both are strongly influenced by the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The modeled interannual to decadal salinity changes in the subpolar basins are mostly controlled by circulation-driven anomalies of freshwater flux convergence, although surface salinity restoring to climatology and other boundary fluxes each account for approximately 25% of the variance. The NAO plays an important role: a positive NAO phase is associated with increased precipitation, reduced northward salt transport by the wind-driven intergyre gyre, and increased southward flows of freshwater across the Greenland–Scotland ridge. Since the NAO largely controlled deep convection in the subpolar gyre, fresher waters are found near the sinking region during convective events. This markedly differs from the active influence on the MOC that salinity exerts at decadal and longer timescales in most coupled models. The intensification of the MOC that follows a positive NAO phase by about 2 years does not lead to an increase in the northward salt transport into the subpolar domain at low frequencies because it is cancelled by the concomitant intensification of the subpolar gyre which shifts the subpolar front eastward and reduces the northward salt transport by the North Atlantic Current waters. This differs again from most coupled models, where the gyre intensification precedes that of the MOC by several years.     

Characteristics and mechanisms study of abnormal meridional movement of the Western Pacific Subtropical High in July 2020

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - The climate in China is extremely abnormal in July 2020, which is largely attributed to the anomalous activities of the Western Pacific Subtropical High...     

On eddy convection velocity in the atmospheric boundary layer

Lumley's model is extended to predict the effect of convection velocity fluctuations on eddy convection velocity for the high-frequency region of the longitudinal, transverse and scalar phase spectra in the atmospheric boundary layer. The resulting model predicts that the eddy convection velocity will be higher than the mean wind speed. The increase over the mean wind speed is largest for the longitudinal spectrum.     

The role of meridional density differences for a wind-driven overturning circulation

Experiments with the coupled climate model CLIMBER-3α, which contains an oceanic general circulation model, show deep upwelling in the Southern Ocean to be proportional to the surface wind stress in the latitudinal band of Drake Passage. At the same time, the distribution of the Southern Ocean upwelling onto the oceanic basins is controlled by buoyancy distribution; the inflow into each basin being proportional to the respective meridional density difference. We observe approximately the same constant of proportionality for all basins, and demonstrate that it can be directly related to the flow geometry. For increased wind stress in the Southern Ocean, the overturning increases both in the Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific basin. For strongly reduced wind stress, the circulation enters a regime where Atlantic overturning is maintained through Pacific upwelling, in order to satisfy the transports set by the density differences. Previous results on surface buoyancy and wind stress forcing, obtained with different models, are reproduced within one model in order to distill a consistent picture. We propose that both Southern Ocean upwelling and meridional density differences set up a system of conditions that determine the global meridional overturning circulation.     

大气经圈环流对波动和能量传输的影响

本文用斜压准地转模式讨论了经圈环流作为基流的一部分对不同风系中波动和能量传输的影响。特别指出在东风带中因经圈环流的存在,就可能形成定常和非定常的经向行星波,使夏季低纬度东风气流中的波动及其能量向中、高纬度传播。 文中还分析和计算了定常经向波和瞬变波的群速度和一些动力学性质。     

A note on the role of meridional wind stress anomalies and heat flux in ENSO simulations

Four comparative experiments and some supplementary experiments were conducted to examine the role of meridional wind stress anomalies and heat flux variability in ENSO simulations by using a high-resolution Ocean General Circulation Model （OGCM）. The results indicate that changes in the direction and magnitude of meridional wind stress anomalies have little influence on ENSO simulations until meridional wind stress anomalies are unrealistically enlarged by a factor of 5.0. However, evidence of an impact on ENSO simulations due to heat flux variability was found. The simulated Nino-3 index without the effect of heat flux anomalies tended to be around 1.0° lower than the observed, as well as the control run, during the peak months of ENSO events.