Transient eddy kinetic energetics on Mars in three reanalysis datasets

Author(s):  
J. Michael Battalio

AbstractThe ability of Martian reanalysis datasets to represent the growth and decay of short-period (1.5 < P < 8 sol) transient eddies is compared across the Mars Analysis Correction Data Assimilation (MACDA), Open access to Mars Assimilated Remote Soundings (OpenMARS), and Ensemble Mars Reanalysis System (EMARS). Short-period eddies are predominantly surface-based, have the largest amplitudes in the northern hemisphere, and are found, in order of decreasing eddy kinetic energy amplitude, in Utopia, Acidalia, and Arcadia Planitae in the northern hemisphere, and south of the Tharsis Plateau and between Argyre and Hellas Basins in the southern hemisphere. Short-period eddies grow on the upstream (western) sides of basins via baroclinic energy conversion and by extracting energy from the mean flow and long-period (P > 8 sol) eddies when interacting with high relief. Overall, the combined impact of barotropic energy conversion is a net loss of eddy kinetic energy, which rectifies previous conflicting results. When Thermal Emission Spectrometer observations are assimilated (Mars years 24–27), all three reanalyses agree on eddy amplitude and timing, but during the Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) observational era (Mars years 28–33), eddies are less constrained. The EMARS ensemble member has considerably higher eddy generation than the ensemble mean, and bulk eddy amplitudes in the deterministic OpenMARS reanalysis agree with the EMARS ensemble rather than the EMARS member. Thus, analysis of individual eddies during the MCS era should only be performed when eddy amplitudes are large and when there is agreement across reanalyses.

Ocean Science ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Sorgente ◽  
A. Olita ◽  
P. Oddo ◽  
L. Fazioli ◽  
A. Ribotti

Abstract. The spatial and temporal variability of eddy and mean kinetic energy of the Central Mediterranean region has been investigated, from January 2008 to December 2010, by mean of a numerical simulation mainly to quantify the mesoscale dynamics and their relationships with physical forcing. In order to understand the energy redistribution processes, the baroclinic energy conversion has been analysed, suggesting hypotheses about the drivers of the mesoscale activity in this area. The ocean model used is based on the Princeton Ocean Model implemented at 1/32° horizontal resolution. Surface momentum and buoyancy fluxes are interactively computed by mean of standard bulk formulae using predicted model Sea Surface Temperature and atmospheric variables provided by the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast operational analyses. At its lateral boundaries the model is one-way nested within the Mediterranean Forecasting System operational products. The model domain has been subdivided in four sub-regions: Sardinia channel and southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Sicily channel, eastern Tunisian shelf and Libyan Sea. Temporal evolution of eddy and mean kinetic energy has been analysed, on each of the four sub-regions, showing different behaviours. On annual scales and within the first 5 m depth, the eddy kinetic energy represents approximately the 60 % of the total kinetic energy over the whole domain, confirming the strong mesoscale nature of the surface current flows in this area. The analyses show that the model well reproduces the path and the temporal behaviour of the main known sub-basin circulation features. New mesoscale structures have been also identified, from numerical results and direct observations, for the first time as the Pantelleria Vortex and the Medina Gyre. The classical kinetic energy decomposition (eddy and mean) allowed to depict and to quantify the permanent and fluctuating parts of the circulation in the region, and to differentiate the four sub-regions as function of relative and absolute strength of the mesoscale activity. Furthermore the Baroclinic Energy Conversion term shows that in the Sardinia Channel the mesoscale activity, due to baroclinic instabilities, is significantly larger than in the other sub-regions, while a negative sign of the energy conversion, meaning a transfer of energy from the Eddy Kinetic Energy to the Eddy Available Potential Energy, has been recorded only for the surface layers of the Sicily Channel during summer.


2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1161-1214 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Sorgente ◽  
A. Olita ◽  
P. Oddo ◽  
L. Fazioli ◽  
A. Ribotti

Abstract. The spatial and temporal variability of eddy and mean kinetic energy of the Central Mediterranean Sea has been investigated, from January 2008 to December 2010, by mean of a numerical simulation mainly to quantify the mesoscale dynamics and their relationships with physical forcing. In order to understand the energy redistribution processes, the baroclinic energy conversion has been analysed, suggesting hypotheses about the drivers of the mesoscale activity in this area. The ocean model used is based on the Princeton Ocean Model implemented at 1/32° horizontal resolution. Surface momentum and buoyancy fluxes are interactively computed by mean of standard bulk formulae using predicted model Sea Surface Temperature and atmospheric variables provided by the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast operational analyses. At its lateral boundaries the model is one-way nested within the Mediterranean Forecasting System operational products. The model domain has been subdivided in four sub-regions: Sardinia channel and southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Sicily channel, eastern Tunisian shelf and Libyan Sea. Temporal evolution of eddy and mean kinetic energy has been analysed, on each of the four sub-regions composing the model domain, showing different behaviours. On annual scales and within the first 5 m depth, the eddy kinetic energy represents approximately the 60 % of the total kinetic energy over the whole domain, confirming the strong mesoscale nature of the surface current flows in this area. The analyses show that the model well reproduces the path and the temporal behaviour of the main known sub-basin circulation features. New mesoscale structures have been also identified, from numerical results and direct observations, for the first time as the Pantelleria Vortex and the Medina Gyre. The classical the kinetic energy decomposition (eddy and mean) allowed to depict and to quantify the stable and fluctuating parts of the circulation in the region, and to differentiate the four sub-regions as function of relative and absolute strength of the mesoscale activity. Furthermore the Baroclinic Energy Conversion term shows that in the Sardinia Channel the mesoscale activity, due to baroclinic instabilities, is significantly larger than in the other sub-regions, while a negative sign of the energy conversion, meaning a transfer of energy from the Eddy Kinetic Energy to the Eddy Available Potential Energy, has been recorded only for the surface layers of the Sicily Channel during summer.


2013 ◽  
Vol 141 (4) ◽  
pp. 1337-1346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yao Ha ◽  
Zhong Zhong ◽  
Yimin Zhu ◽  
Yijia Hu

Abstract The contribution of barotropic energy conversion to tropical cyclone (TC) activity over the western North Pacific (WNP) during warm and cold phases of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is investigated by separating TC vortices from reanalysis data and using a linearized eddy kinetic energy tendency equation. By comparing the characteristics of TC disturbances with synoptic-scale disturbances, it is found that the modulation of ENSO on the WNP TC intensity is presented more objectively by using TC kinetic energy (EKETC) than eddy kinetic energy (EKE). Barotropic energy conversion (KmKe) into TC disturbances (KmKeTC) is an effective indicator in detecting the barotropic energy source of low-level cyclone genesis and maintenance during the ENSO cycle. However, its dynamical processes play different roles. Shear in large-scale zonal wind and convergence in large-scale meridional wind provide direct barotropic energy source for TC genesis, but make effects in different regions of the WNP. In contrast, convergence in large-scale zonal and shear in large-scale meridional wind exert little influence on TC genesis during ENSO.


2021 ◽  
Vol 149 (11) ◽  
pp. 3821-3835
Author(s):  
Rama Sesha Sridhar Mantripragada ◽  
C. J. Schreck III ◽  
Anantha Aiyyer

Abstract Perturbation kinetic and available energy budgets are used to explore how convectively coupled equatorial Kelvin waves (KWs) impact African easterly wave (AEW) activity. The convective phase of the Kelvin wave increases the African easterly jet’s meridional shear, thus enhancing the barotropic energy conversions, leading to intensification of southern track AEWs perturbation kinetic energy. In contrast, the barotropic energy conversion is reduced in the suppressed phase of KW. Baroclinic energy conversion of the southern track AEWs is not significantly different between Kelvin waves’ convective and suppressed phases. AEWs in the convective phase of a Kelvin wave have stronger perturbation available potential energy generation by diabatic heating and stronger baroclinic overturning circulations than in the suppressed phase of a Kelvin wave. These differences suggest that southern track AEWs within the convective phase of Kelvin waves have more vigorous convection than in the suppressed phase of Kelvin waves. Barotropic energy conversion of the northern track AEWs is not significantly different between Kelvin waves’ convective and suppressed phases. The convective phase of the Kelvin wave increases the lower-tropospheric meridional temperature gradient north of the African easterly jet, thus enhancing the baroclinic energy conversion, leading to intensification of northern track AEWs perturbation kinetic energy. In contrast, the baroclinic energy conversion is reduced in the suppressed phase of KW. These results provide a physical basis for the modulation of AEWs by Kelvin waves arriving from upstream.


MAUSAM ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-58
Author(s):  
S. BALACHANDRAN

bl 'kks/k i= esa 11&14 uoEcj 2008 ds nkSjku caxky dh [kkM+h esa cuus vkSj mlds vkxs c<+us okys m".kdfVca/kh; pØokr dSeqd  dh xfrdh; fLFkfr;ksa ds fo’kys"k.k ij fopkj&foe’kZ fd;k x;k tks fupys Lrj ij ifjofrZr ok;qnkc&m".kdfVca/k ¼csjksVªkfid½ mtkZ ij dsfUnzr FkkA bl nkSjku ;g ik;k x;k  fd if’peh iz’kkar egklkxj ls miks".kh; iwohZ gok;sa e/; caxky dh [kkM+h ds mRrj rd c<+h vkSj Åij m)`r vof/k esa Hkwe/;js[kh; if’peh gok;sa ¼iNok¡½ vkbZ-Vh-lh-tsM+- ds nf{k.k rd c<+h ftlds dkj.k {kSfrt; vi:i.k izokg vR;kf/kd ek=k esa cukA blls pØokrh vi:i.k Hkzfeyrk mRiUu gqbZ vkSj fo{kksHk cuk] tks ckn esa m".kdfVca/kh; pØokr dSeqd esa fodflr gks x;kA fupys {kksHkeaM+y esa ewyHkwr {ks=h; izokg ok;qnkcm".kdfVca/k :i ls vfLFkj Fkk ftls fujis{k Hkzfeyrk ds ;kE;ksrjh forj.k ds y{k.k ds ifjorZu }kjk crk;k x;k gS ftlls coaMj ds cuus esa xfrdh; ÅtkZ feyhA bl nkSjku fujis{k Hkzfeyrk ds ek/; {ks=h; izokg vkSj ;kE;ksrjh izo.krk ds chp ldkjkRed lglaca/k Fkk ftlls ok;qnkcm".kdfVca/k }kjk coaMj ek/; izokg dh vUrjfØ;kvksa ds }kjk coaM+j dh xfrdh; ÅtkZ esa o`f) gqbZA ÅtZLoh fo’ys"k.k ls irk pyk gS fd coaM+j okyh xfrdh; ÅtkZ ds ldkjkRed ifjorZu ds mPp nj ds {ks= ifjorhZ ok;qnkc m".kdfVca/k ds ldkjkRed {ks=ksa ls esy [kkrs gSa vkSj ifjorhZ m".kdfVca/k ds ifjek.k Hkzfey mRifRr okys {ks= ds vkl&ikl coaM+j okyh xfrdh; ÅtkZ ds ifjorZu ds LFkkuh; le; ds lkFk esy [kkrs gaSA ewyHkwr {ks=h; izokg ds ;kE;ksrjh vi:i.k }kjk ifjofrZr ok;qnkc m".kdfVca/k ÅtkZ m".kdfVca/kh; pØokr dSeqd ds cuus vkSj mlds vkxs c<+us okys ,d egRoiw.kZ ÅtkZ L=ksr FkkA Analysis of dynamical conditions in respect of formation and growth of tropical cyclone Khai Muk over the Bay of Bengal during 11-14 November 2008 is discussed with focus on barotropic energy conversion at lower level. It is observed that the extension of subtropical easterlies from the Western Pacific in to central Bay of Bengal to the north and equatorial westerlies to the south of ITCZ during the above period constituted a large scale horizontal shear flow. This led to generation of cyclonic shear vorticity and initiation of disturbance which later developed in to tropical cyclone Khai Muk. The basic zonal flow in the lower troposphere was barotropically unstable as depicted by change of sign of meridional distribution of absolute vorticity which provided the kinetic energy for the growth of eddy. There existed positive correlation between mean zonal flow and the meridional gradient of absolute vorticity which favoured increase of eddy kinetic energy through barotropic eddy-mean flow interactions. Energetic analysis indicated that areas of high rate of positive change of eddy kinetic energy coincided with positive areas of barotropic conversion and the magnitude of barotropic conversion matched with local rate of change of eddy kinetic energy around the area of vortex generation. Barotropic energy conversion by meridional shear of basic zonal flow was an important energy source for the formation and initial growth of tropical cyclone Khai Muk.


2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 927-941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pang-chi Hsu ◽  
Tim Li ◽  
Chih-Hua Tsou

Abstract The role of scale interactions in the maintenance of eddy kinetic energy (EKE) during the extreme phases of the intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) is examined through the construction of a new eddy energetics diagnostic tool that separates the effects of ISO and a low-frequency background state (LFBS; with periods longer than 90 days). The LFBS always contributes positively toward the EKE in the boreal summer, regardless of the ISO phases. The synoptic eddies extract energy from the ISO during the ISO active phase. This positive barotropic energy conversion occurs when the synoptic eddies interact with low-level cyclonic and convergent–confluent ISO flows. This contrasts with the ISO suppressed phase during which the synoptic eddies lose kinetic energy to the ISO flow. The anticyclonic and divergent–diffluent ISO flows during the suppressed phase are responsible for the negative barotropic energy conversion. A positive (negative) EKE tendency occurs during the ISO suppressed-to-active (active-to-suppressed) transitional phase. The cause of this asymmetric EKE tendency is attributed to the spatial phase relation among the ISO vorticity, eddy structure, and EKE. The southwest–northeast-tilted synoptic disturbances interacting with cyclonic (anticyclonic) vorticity of ISO lead to a positive (negative) EKE tendency in the northwest region of the maximum EKE center. The genesis number and location and intensification rate of tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific are closely related to the barotropic energy conversion. The enhanced barotropic energy conversion favors the generation and development of synoptic seed disturbances, some of which eventually grow into tropical cyclones.


2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 2057-2077 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Menelaou ◽  
M. K. Yau

Abstract The role of asymmetric convection to the intensity change of a weak vortex is investigated with the aid of a “dry” thermally forced model. Numerical experiments are conducted, starting with a weak vortex forced by a localized thermal anomaly. The concept of wave activity, the Eliassen–Palm flux, and eddy kinetic energy are then applied to identify the nature of the dominant generated waves and to diagnose their kinematics, structure, and impact on the primary vortex. The physical reasons for which disagreements with previous studies exist are also investigated utilizing the governing equation for potential vorticity (PV) perturbations and a number of sensitivity experiments. From the control experiment, it is found that the response of the vortex is dominated by the radiation of a damped sheared vortex Rossby wave (VRW) that acts to accelerate the symmetric flow through the transport of angular momentum. An increase of the kinetic energy of the symmetric flow by the VRW is shown also from the eddy kinetic energy budget. Additional tests performed on the structure and the magnitude of the initial thermal forcing confirm the robustness of the results and emphasize the significance of the wave–mean flow interaction to the intensification process. From the sensitivity experiments, it is found that for a localized thermal anomaly, regardless of the baroclinicity of the vortex and the radial and vertical gradients of the thermal forcing, the resultant PV perturbation follows a damping behavior, thus suggesting that deceleration of the vortex should not be expected.


2012 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 956-972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew F. Thompson ◽  
Jean-Baptiste Sallée

Abstract The Southern Ocean’s Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) naturally lends itself to interpretations using a zonally averaged framework. Yet, navigation around steep and complicated bathymetric obstacles suggests that local dynamics may be far removed from those described by zonally symmetric models. In this study, both observational and numerical results indicate that zonal asymmetries, in the form of topography, impact global flow structure and transport properties. The conclusions are based on a suite of more than 1.5 million virtual drifter trajectories advected using a satellite altimetry–derived surface velocity field spanning 17 years. The focus is on sites of “cross front” transport as defined by movement across selected sea surface height contours that correspond to jets along most of the ACC. Cross-front exchange is localized in the lee of bathymetric features with more than 75% of crossing events occurring in regions corresponding to only 20% of the ACC’s zonal extent. These observations motivate a series of numerical experiments using a two-layer quasigeostrophic model with simple, zonally asymmetric topography, which often produces transitions in the front structure along the channel. Significantly, regimes occur where the equilibrated number of coherent jets is a function of longitude and transport barriers are not periodic. Jet reorganization is carried out by eddy flux divergences acting to both accelerate and decelerate the mean flow of the jets. Eddy kinetic energy is amplified downstream of topography due to increased baroclinicity related to topographic steering. The combination of high eddy kinetic energy and recirculation features enhances particle exchange. These results stress the complications in developing consistent circumpolar definitions of the ACC fronts.


2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 1117-1136 ◽  
Author(s):  
David W. J. Thompson ◽  
Ying Li

Abstract Large-scale variability in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) circulation can be viewed in the context of three primary types of structures: 1) teleconnection patterns, 2) a barotropic annular mode, and 3) a baroclinic annular mode. The barotropic annular mode corresponds to the northern annular mode (NAM) and has been examined extensively in previous research. Here the authors examine the spatial structure and time-dependent behavior of the NH baroclinic annular mode (NBAM). The NAM and NBAM have very different signatures in large-scale NH climate variability. The NAM emerges as the leading principal component (PC) time series of the zonal-mean kinetic energy. It dominates the variance in the wave fluxes of momentum, projects weakly onto the eddy kinetic energy and wave fluxes of heat, and can be modeled as Gaussian red noise with a time scale of ~10 days. In contrast, the NBAM emerges as the leading PC time series of the eddy kinetic energy. It is most clearly identified when the planetary-scale waves are filtered from the data, dominates the variance in the synoptic-scale eddy kinetic energy and wave fluxes of heat, and has a relatively weak signature in the zonal-mean kinetic energy and the wave fluxes of momentum. The NBAM is marked by weak but significant enhanced spectral power on time scales of ~20–25 days. The NBAM is remarkably similar to its Southern Hemisphere counterpart despite the pronounced interhemispheric differences in orography and land–sea contrasts.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (10) ◽  
pp. 3750-3766 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Hua Tsou ◽  
Huang-Hsiung Hsu ◽  
Pang-Chi Hsu

Abstract This study formulates a synoptic-scale eddy (SSE) kinetic energy equation by partitioning the original field into seasonal mean circulation, intraseasonal oscillation (ISO), and SSEs to examine the multiscale interactions over the western North Pacific (WNP) in autumn. In addition, the relative contribution of synoptic-mean and synoptic-ISO interactions to SSE kinetic energy was quantitatively estimated by further separating barotropic energy conversion (CK) into synoptic-mean barotropic energy conversion (CKS−M) and synoptic-ISO barotropic energy conversion (CKS−ISO) components. The development of tropical SSE in the lower troposphere is mainly attributed to CK associated with multiscale interactions. Mean cyclonic circulation in the lower troposphere consistently provides kinetic energy to SSEs (CKS−M &gt; 0) during the ISO westerly and easterly phases. However, CKS−ISO during the ISO westerly and easterly phases differs considerably. During the ISO westerly phase, the enhanced ISO cyclonic flow converts energy to SSEs (CKS−ISO &gt; 0). The magnitude of the downscale energy conversion from mean and ISO to SSEs is related to the strength of the SSEs. During the ISO westerly phase, a stronger SSE extracts more kinetic energy from mean and ISO circulation. This positive feedback between SSE-mean and SSE–ISO interactions causes further strengthening of SSEs during the ISO westerly phase. By contrast, upscale energy conversion from SSEs to ISO anticyclonic flow (CKS−ISO &lt; 0) was observed during the ISO easterly phase. The weaker SSE activity during the ISO easterly phase occurred because the mean circulation provides less energy to SSEs and, at the same time, SSEs lose energy to ISO during the ISO easterly phase. The two-way interaction between the ISO and SSEs has considerable effects on the development of tropical SSEs over the WNP in autumn.


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