scholarly journals A Multiscale Asymptotic Theory of Extratropical Wave–Mean Flow Interaction

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 1833-1852 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lina Boljka ◽  
Theodore G. Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
Asymptotic Methods ◽  
Wave Activity ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Planetary Scale ◽  
Momentum Budget ◽  
Momentum Fluxes ◽  
Diabatic Processes ◽  
Adiabatic Term

Abstract Multiscale asymptotic methods are used to derive wave activity equations for planetary- and synoptic-scale eddies and their interactions with a zonal mean flow. The eddies are assumed to be of small amplitude, and the synoptic-scale zonal and meridional length scales are taken to be equal. Under these assumptions, the zonal-mean and planetary-scale dynamics are planetary geostrophic (i.e., dominated by vortex stretching), and the interaction between planetary- and synoptic-scale eddies occurs only through the zonal mean flow or through diabatic processes. Planetary-scale heat fluxes are shown to enter the angular momentum budget through meridional mass redistribution. After averaging over synoptic length and time scales, momentum fluxes disappear from the synoptic-scale wave activity equation while synoptic-scale heat fluxes disappear from the baroclinicity equation, leaving planetary-scale heat fluxes as the only adiabatic term coupling the baroclinic and barotropic components of the zonal mean flow. In the special case of weak planetary waves, the decoupling between the baroclinic and barotropic parts of the flow is complete with momentum fluxes driving the barotropic zonal mean flow, heat fluxes driving the wave activity, and diabatic processes driving baroclinicity. These results help explain the apparent decoupling between the baroclinic and barotropic components of flow variability recently identified in observations and may provide a means of better understanding the link between thermodynamic and dynamic aspects of climate variability and change.

scholarly journals Eddy Influences on the Strength of the Hadley Circulation: Dynamic and Thermodynamic Perspectives

2017 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 467-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin S. Singh ◽  
Zhiming Kuang ◽  
Yang Tian
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Hadley Circulation ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Momentum Budget ◽  
Beta Plane ◽  
Momentum Fluxes ◽  
Dynamical Constraints

Abstract The strength of the equinoctial Hadley circulation (HC) is investigated in idealized simulations conducted on an equatorial beta plane in which the zonal width of the domain is varied to either permit or suppress large-scale eddies. The presence of such eddies is found to amplify the HC by a factor of 2–3 in simulations with slab-ocean boundary conditions or with a simple representation of ocean heat transport. Additional simulations in which the eddy forcing is prescribed externally indicate that this amplification is primarily associated with large-scale eddy momentum fluxes rather than large-scale eddy heat fluxes. These results contrast with results from simulations with fixed distributions of sea surface temperature (SST), in which the HC strength has been found to be relatively insensitive to large-scale eddy momentum fluxes. In both the interactive- and fixed-SST cases, the influence of nonlinear momentum advection by the mean flow complicates efforts to use the angular-momentum budget to constrain the HC strength. However, a strong relationship is found between the HC strength and a measure of the meridional gradient of boundary layer entropy, indicating a possible thermodynamic control on the HC strength. In simulations with interactive SSTs, meridional eddy momentum fluxes affect the boundary layer entropy by inducing a low-level frictional flow that reduces the ability of the HC to transport heat poleward. This allows for the maintenance of a large meridional entropy gradient in the presence of a strong HC. The results highlight the potential utility of a thermodynamic perspective for understanding the HC in flow regimes for which dynamical constraints may be difficult to apply.

scholarly journals On the Coupling between Barotropic and Baroclinic Modes of Extratropical Atmospheric Variability

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 1853-1871 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lina Boljka ◽  
Theodore G. Shepherd ◽  
Michael Blackburn
Keyword(s):  
Time Scales ◽  
Feedback Mechanism ◽  
Wave Activity ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Atmospheric Variability ◽  
Modes Of Variability ◽  
Momentum Fluxes ◽  
Baroclinic Modes

Abstract The baroclinic and barotropic components of atmospheric dynamics are usually viewed as interlinked through the baroclinic life cycle, with baroclinic growth of eddies connected to heat fluxes, barotropic decay connected to momentum fluxes, and the two eddy fluxes connected through the Eliassen–Palm wave activity. However, recent observational studies have suggested that these two components of the dynamics are largely decoupled in their variability, with variations in the zonal mean flow associated mainly with the momentum fluxes, variations in the baroclinic wave activity associated mainly with the heat fluxes, and essentially no correlation between the two. These relationships are examined in a dry dynamical core model under different configurations and in Southern Hemisphere observations, considering different frequency bands to account for the different time scales of atmospheric variability. It is shown that at intermediate periods longer than 10 days, the decoupling of the baroclinic and barotropic modes of variability can indeed occur as the eddy kinetic energy at those time scales is only affected by the heat fluxes and not the momentum fluxes. The baroclinic variability includes the oscillator model with periods of 20–30 days. At both the synoptic time scale and the quasi-steady limit, the baroclinic and barotropic modes of variability are linked, consistent with baroclinic life cycles and the positive baroclinic feedback mechanism, respectively. In the quasi-steady limit, the pulsating modes of variability and their correlations depend sensitively on the model climatology.

scholarly journals Stratospheric gravity-waves over the mountainous island of South Georgia: testing a high-resolution dynamical model with 3-D satellite observations and radiosondes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil P. Hindley ◽  
Corwin J. Wright ◽  
Alan M. Gadian ◽  
Lars Hoffmann ◽  
John K. Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Gravity Wave ◽  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Wave Activity ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Total Flux ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
South Georgia ◽  
Momentum Fluxes

Abstract. Atmospheric gravity waves are key drivers of the transfer of energy and momentum between the layers of the Earth’s atmosphere. The accurate representation of these waves in General Circulation Models (GCMs) however has proved very challenging. This is because large parts of the gravity wave spectrum are at scales that are near or below the resolution of global GCMs. This is especially relevant for small isolated mountainous islands such as South Georgia (54° S, 36° W) in the Southern Ocean. Observations reveal the island to be an intense source of stratospheric gravity waves, but their momentum fluxes can be under-represented in global models due to its small size. This is a crucial limitation, since the inadequate representation of gravity waves near 60° S during winter has been linked to the long-standing "cold-pole problem", where the southern stratospheric polar vortex breaks up too late in spring by several weeks. Here we address a fundamental question: when a model is allowed to run at very high spatial resolution over South Georgia, how realistic are the simulated gravity waves compared to observations? To answer this question, we present a 3-D comparison between satellite gravity wave observations and a high resolution model over South Georgia. We use a dedicated high-resolution run (1.5 km horizontal grid, 118 vertical levels) of the Met Office Unified Model over South Georgia and coincident 3-D satellite observations from NASA AIRS/Aqua during July 2013 and June–July 2015. First, model winds are validated with coincident radiosonde observations. The AIRS observational filter is then applied to the model output to make the two data sets comparable. A 3-D S-transform method is used to measure gravity-wave amplitudes, wavelengths, directional momentum fluxes and intermittency in the model and observations. Our results show that although the timing of gravity wave activity in the model closely matches observations, area-averaged momentum fluxes are generally up to around 25 % lower than observed. Further, we find that 72 % of the total flux in the model region is located downwind of the island, compared to only 57 % in the AIRS measurements. Directly over the island, the model exhibits higher individual flux measurements but these fluxes are more intermittent than in observations, with 90 % of the total flux carried by just 22 % of wave events, compared to 32 % for AIRS. Observed gravity wave fluxes also appear to dissipate more quickly with increasing height than in the model, suggesting a greater role for wave-mean flow interactions in reality. Finally, spectral analysis of the wave fields suggests that the model over-estimates gravity wave fluxes at short horizontal scales directly over the island, but under-estimates fluxes from larger horizontal scale non-orographic waves in the region, leading to a lower average value overall. Our results indicate that, although increasing model resolution is important, it is also important to ensure that variability in the background wind vector and role of non-orographic waves are accurately simulated in order to achieve realistic gravity wave activity over the Southern Ocean in future GCMs.

The Role of Planetary-scale Eddies on the Recent Isentropic Slope Trend during Boreal Winter

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
MINGYU PARK ◽  
SUKYOUNG LEE
Keyword(s):  
Baroclinic Instability ◽  
Temperature Response ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Boreal Winter ◽  
Systematic Change ◽  
Latent Heating ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Planetary Scale ◽  
Zonal Wavenumber ◽  
Tropical Heating

AbstractAccording to baroclinic adjustment theory, the isentropic slope maintains its marginal state for baroclinic instability. However, the recent trend of Arctic warming raises the possibility that there could have been a systematic change in the extratropical isentropic slope. In this study, global reanalysis data is used to investigate this possibility. The result shows that tropospheric isentropes north of 50°N have been flattening significantly for the recent 25-yr winters. This trend pattern fluctuates at intraseasonal time scales. An examination of the temporal evolution indicates that it is the planetary-scale (zonal wavenumber 1-3) eddy heat fluxes, not the synoptic-scale eddy heat fluxes, that flatten the isentropes; synoptic-scale eddy heat fluxes instead respond to the subsequent changes in isentropic slope. This extratropical planetary scale wave growth is preceded by an enhanced zonal asymmetry of tropical heating and poleward wave activity vectors.A numerical model is used to test if the observed latent heating can generate the observed isentropic slope anomalies. The result shows that the tropical heating indeed contributes to the isentropic slope trend. The agreement between the model solution and the observation improves substantially if extratropical latent heating is also included in the forcing. The model temperature response shows a pattern resembling the warm-Arctic-cold-continent pattern. From these results, it is concluded that the recent flattening trend of isentropic slope north of 50°N is mostly caused by planetary scale eddy activities generated from latent heating, and that this change is accompanied by a warm-Arctic-cold-continent pattern that permeates the entire troposphere.

scholarly journals Meridional Momentum Flux and Superrotation in the Multiscale IPESD MJO Model

2007 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 1636-1651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph A. Biello ◽  
Andrew J. Majda ◽  
Mitchell W. Moncrieff
Keyword(s):  
Velocity Field ◽  
Momentum Flux ◽  
Madden Julian Oscillation ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Multiscale Models ◽  
Planetary Scale ◽  
Westerly Winds ◽  
Momentum Fluxes ◽  
Convergent Flow ◽  
Balance Dynamics

Abstract The derivation of the meridional momentum flux arising from a multiscale horizontal velocity field in the intraseasonal, planetary, equatorial synoptic-scale dynamics (IPESD) multiscale models of the equatorial troposphere is presented. It is shown that, because of the balance dynamics on the synoptic scales, the synoptic-scale component of the meridional momentum flux convergence must always vanish at the equator. Plausible Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) models are presented along with their planetary-scale meridional momentum fluxes. These models are driven by synoptic-scale heating fluctuations that have vertical and meridional tilts. Irrespective of the sign of the synoptic-scale meridional momentum flux (direction of the tilts) in each of the four MJO examples, the zonal and vertical mean meridional momentum flux convergence from the planetary scales always drives westerly winds near the equator: this is the superrotation characteristic of actual MJOs. The concluding discussion demonstrates that equatorial superrotation occurs when the planetary flow due to the vertical upscale momentum flux from synoptic scales reinforces the horizontally convergent flow due to planetary-scale mean heating.

The Origin and Dispersion Characteristics of the Observed Tropical Summertime Synoptic-Scale Waves over the Western Pacific*

2006 ◽  
Vol 134 (6) ◽  
pp. 1630-1646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chi-Yung Tam ◽  
Tim Li
Keyword(s):  
Wave Activity ◽  
Western Pacific ◽  
Specific Humidity ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Low Level ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
The Tropics ◽  
The Western Pacific

Abstract The origin, initiation, and dispersion behavior of the observed summertime synoptic-scale disturbances in the tropical western Pacific are studied. These westward-propagating disturbances have the strongest growth rate over the region of ∼130°–160°E off the equator. The three-dimensional wave activity flux associated with a wave packet in the vicinity of this region is computed. In general, wave activity is directed westward. There is accumulation of activity flux, which gives rise to the amplification of waves. In the low levels, such accumulation can be attributed to the convergence of both the mean flow and the intrinsic group velocity. Diabatic forcing also contributes to the growth of disturbances and is most important in the 500–600-hPa layer. Along the east–west-oriented “storm tracks” of the synoptic-scale disturbances, there are two different dynamical regimes. West of ∼150°E, enhanced convection is associated with increased specific humidity at the top of the planetary boundary layer and is in phase with positive low-level vorticity anomalies. To the east of 150°E the vorticity leads the convection by about one-quarter of a wavelength. This phase relationship can be explained by adiabatic dynamics and is related to the positive vertical shear of the mean zonal flow in the latter region. Near and to the east of the date line where disturbances are initiated in the low levels, the heat flux associated with the synoptic-scale eddies is negative (i.e., υ′T ′ < 0) from about 300 to 700 hPa. This implies downward-directed wave activity. In the upper troposphere at the same geographical location, there is southward wave activity from the extratropics penetrating into the Tropics. These findings suggest that summertime synoptic-scale disturbances may originate from extratropical forcing. This hypothesis is supported by a case study. Intrusion of high potential vorticity into the Tropics was seen to be followed by downward development, resulting in low-level disturbances that subsequently moved westward in the western Pacific and grew.

scholarly journals Formation and Maintenance of the Tropical Cold-Point Tropopause in a Dry Dynamic-Core GCM

2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (8) ◽  
pp. 3097-3115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joowan Kim ◽  
Seok-Woo Son
Keyword(s):  
Lower Stratosphere ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Equilibrium Temperature ◽  
Equation Model ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Model Driven ◽  
Planetary Scale ◽  
Radiative Processes ◽  
Cold Point

Abstract The formation of the tropical cold-point tropopause (CPT) is examined using a dry primitive equation model driven by the Held–Suarez forcing. Without moist and realistic radiative processes, the dry model successfully reproduces the zonal-mean structure of the CPT. The modeled CPT is appreciably colder (~10 K) than the prescribed equilibrium temperature, and it is maintained by upwelling in the tropical upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS). A transient simulation starting from an axisymmetric steady state without the CPT shows that the evolution and maintenance of the CPT are closely related to the zonal-mean-flow response to wave driving in the stratosphere. The transformed Eulerian-mean analysis indicates that the wave driving is mostly due to convergence of synoptic-scale waves originating from the midlatitude troposphere and propagating into the subtropical UTLS in this model simulation. The modeled CPT also shows a large sensitivity to increased baroclinicity in the equilibrium temperature. Although planetary-scale waves are not considered in this simulation, the result confirms that wave-driven upwelling in the tropical UTLS is a crucial process for the formation and maintenance of the CPT. In addition, it also implies that synoptic-scale waves may play a nonnegligible role in this mechanism, particularly in the seasons when planetary-scale wave activity in the lower stratosphere is weak.

scholarly journals Tropical Upper-Tropospheric Potential Vorticity Intrusions during Sudden Stratospheric Warmings

2016 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 2361-2384 ◽  
Author(s):  
John R. Albers ◽  
George N. Kiladis ◽  
Thomas Birner ◽  
Juliana Dias
Keyword(s):  
Potential Vorticity ◽  
Wave Breaking ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Rossby Wave Breaking ◽  
Planetary Scale ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Geographic Distributions ◽  
The Tropics

Abstract The intrusion of lower-stratospheric extratropical potential vorticity into the tropical upper troposphere in the weeks surrounding the occurrence of sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) is examined. The analysis reveals that SSW-related PV intrusions are significantly stronger, penetrate more deeply into the tropics, and exhibit distinct geographic distributions compared to their climatological counterparts. While climatological upper-tropospheric and lower-stratospheric (UTLS) PV intrusions are generally attributed to synoptic-scale Rossby wave breaking, it is found that SSW-related PV intrusions are governed by planetary-scale wave disturbances that deform the extratropical meridional PV gradient maximum equatorward. As these deformations unfold, planetary-scale wave breaking along the edge of the polar vortex extends deeply into the subtropical and tropical UTLS. In addition, the material PV deformations also reorganize the geographic structure of the UTLS waveguide, which alters where synoptic-scale waves break. In combination, these two intrusion mechanisms provide a robust explanation describing why displacement and split SSWs—or, more generally, anomalous stratospheric planetary wave events—produce intrusions with unique geographic distributions: displacement SSWs have a single PV intrusion maximum over the Pacific Ocean, while split SSWs have intrusion maxima over the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is also shown that the two intrusion mechanisms involve distinct time scales of variability, and it is highlighted that they represent an instantaneous and direct link between the stratosphere and troposphere. This is in contrast to higher-latitude stratosphere–troposphere coupling that occurs indirectly via wave–mean flow feedbacks.

scholarly journals Southern Annular Mode Dynamics in Observations and Models. Part II: Eddy Feedbacks

2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (14) ◽  
pp. 5220-5241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isla R. Simpson ◽  
Theodore G. Shepherd ◽  
Peter Hitchcock ◽  
John F. Scinocca
Keyword(s):  
Negative Feedback ◽  
Planetary Wave ◽  
Southern Annular Mode ◽  
Summer Season ◽  
Substantial Contribution ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Annular Mode ◽  
Planetary Scale ◽  
Zonal Wavenumber ◽  
Climatological Circulation

Abstract Many global climate models (GCMs) have trouble simulating southern annular mode (SAM) variability correctly, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere summer season where it tends to be too persistent. In this two-part study, a suite of experiments with the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model (CMAM) is analyzed to improve the understanding of the dynamics of SAM variability and its deficiencies in GCMs. Here, an examination of the eddy–mean flow feedbacks is presented by quantification of the feedback strength as a function of zonal scale and season using a new methodology that accounts for intraseasonal forcing of the SAM. In the observed atmosphere, in the summer season, a strong negative feedback by planetary-scale waves, in particular zonal wavenumber 3, is found in a localized region in the southwest Pacific. It cancels a large proportion of the positive feedback by synoptic- and smaller-scale eddies in the zonal mean, resulting in a very weak overall eddy feedback on the SAM. CMAM is deficient in this negative feedback by planetary-scale waves, making a substantial contribution to its bias in summertime SAM persistence. Furthermore, this bias is not alleviated by artificially improving the climatological circulation, suggesting that climatological circulation biases are not the cause of the planetary wave feedback deficiency in the model. Analysis of the summertime eddy feedbacks in the models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) confirms that this is indeed a common problem among GCMs, suggesting that understanding this planetary wave feedback and the reason for its deficiency in GCMs is key to improving the fidelity of simulated SAM variability in the summer season.

scholarly journals Roles of the Synoptic-Scale Wave Train, the Intraseasonal Oscillation, and High-Frequency Eddies in the Genesis of Typhoon Manyi (2001)*

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (10) ◽  
pp. 3706-3722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yamei Xu ◽  
Tim Li ◽  
Melinda Peng
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Wave Train ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Intraseasonal Oscillation ◽  
Wave Activity ◽  
Weather Research And Forecasting ◽  
Synoptic Scale ◽  
Energy Dispersion ◽  
Multiple Episodes

Abstract Experiments using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model were conducted to investigate the effects of multiscale motions on the genesis of Typhoon Manyi (2001) in the western North Pacific. The precursor signal associated with this typhoon genesis was identified as a northwest–southeast-oriented synoptic-scale wave train (SWT). The model successfully simulated the genesis of the typhoon in the wake of the SWT. Further experiments were conducted to isolate the effects of the SWT, the intraseasonal oscillation (ISO), and high-frequency (shorter than 3 days) eddies in the typhoon formation. Removing the SWT in the initial and boundary conditions eliminates the typhoon genesis. This points out the importance of the SWT in the typhoon genesis. It was noted that the SWT strengthened the wake cyclone through southeastward energy dispersion. The strengthening wake cyclone triggered multiple episodes of strong sustained convective updrafts, leading to aggregation of vertical vorticity and formation of a self-amplified mesoscale core vortex through a “bottom up” development process. Removing the ISO flow eliminates the typhoon genesis, as the ISO significantly modulated the strength of the SWT through accumulation of wave activity. In the absence of SWT–ISO-scale interaction, the southeastward energy dispersion was weakened significantly, and thus the strengthening of the wake cyclone did not occur. As a result, the successive strong sustained convective updrafts disappeared. Removing the high-frequency eddies did not eliminate the typhoon genesis but postponed the genesis for about 36 h.

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