Analysis of interaction between parameterized orographic gravity wave drag and resolved dynamics in CMAM.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petr Šácha ◽  
Aleš Kuchař ◽  
Christoph Jacobi ◽  
Petr Pišoft ◽  
Roland Eichinger ◽  
...  

<div class="page" title="Page 1"> <div class="layoutArea"> <div class="column"> <p>In the extratropical atmosphere, Rossby waves (RWs) and internal gravity waves (GWs) propagating from the troposphere mediate a coupling with the middle atmosphere by influencing the dynamics herein. In current generation chemistry-climate models (CCMs), GWs are usually smaller than the model resolution and the majority of their spectrum therefore must be parameterized. From observations, we know that GWs are intermittent and asymmetrically distributed around the globe, which holds to some extent also for the parameterized GW drag (GWD) (in particular for orographic GWD (oGWD)). The GW parameterizations in CCMs are usually tuned to mitigate biases in the zonal mean climatology of particular quantities, but the complex interaction of parameterized GWs with the large- scale circulation and resolved waves in the models remains to date poorly understood.</p> <p>This presentation will combine observational evidence, idealized modeling and dynamical analysis of a CCM output to study both the short-term and long-term model response to the oGWD. Our results demonstrate that the oGW-resolved dynamics interaction is a complex two-way process, with the most prominent oGWD impact being the alteration of propagation of planetary-scale Rossby waves on a time-scale of a few days. The conclusions give a novel perspective on the importance of oGWD for the stratospheric polar vortex and atmospheric transport studies outlining potential foci of future research.</p> </div> </div> </div>

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petr Šácha ◽  
Aleš Kuchař ◽  
Roland Eichinger ◽  
Petr Pišoft ◽  
Christoph Jacobi ◽  
...  

<p>In the extratropical atmosphere, Rossby waves (RWs) and internal gravity waves (GWs) propagating from the troposphere mediate a coupling with the middle atmosphere by influencing the dynamics herein. In the current generation chemistry-climate models (CCMs), RW effects are well resolved while GW effects have to be parameterized. Here, we analyze orographic GW (OGW) interaction with resolved dynamics in a comprehensive CCM on the time scale of days. For this, we apply a recently developed method of strong OGW drag event composites for the three strongest northern hemisphere OGW hotspots. We show that locally-strong OGW events considerably alter the properties of resolved wave propagation into the middle atmosphere, which subsequently influences zonal winds and RW transience. Our results demonstrate that the influence of OGWs is critically dependent on the hotspot region, which underlines the OGW-resolved dynamics interaction being a two-way process.</p>


2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 802-818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles McLandress ◽  
Theodore G. Shepherd ◽  
Saroja Polavarapu ◽  
Stephen R. Beagley

Abstract Nearly all chemistry–climate models (CCMs) have a systematic bias of a delayed springtime breakdown of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) stratospheric polar vortex, implying insufficient stratospheric wave drag. In this study the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model (CMAM) and the CMAM Data Assimilation System (CMAM-DAS) are used to investigate the cause of this bias. Zonal wind analysis increments from CMAM-DAS reveal systematic negative values in the stratosphere near 60°S in winter and early spring. These are interpreted as indicating a bias in the model physics, namely, missing gravity wave drag (GWD). The negative analysis increments remain at a nearly constant height during winter and descend as the vortex weakens, much like orographic GWD. This region is also where current orographic GWD parameterizations have a gap in wave drag, which is suggested to be unrealistic because of missing effects in those parameterizations. These findings motivate a pair of free-running CMAM simulations to assess the impact of extra orographic GWD at 60°S. The control simulation exhibits the cold-pole bias and delayed vortex breakdown seen in the CCMs. In the simulation with extra GWD, the cold-pole bias is significantly reduced and the vortex breaks down earlier. Changes in resolved wave drag in the stratosphere also occur in response to the extra GWD, which reduce stratospheric SH polar-cap temperature biases in late spring and early summer. Reducing the dynamical biases, however, results in degraded Antarctic column ozone. This suggests that CCMs that obtain realistic column ozone in the presence of an overly strong and persistent vortex may be doing so through compensating errors.


2006 ◽  
Vol 19 (16) ◽  
pp. 3882-3901 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Giorgetta ◽  
E. Manzini ◽  
E. Roeckner ◽  
M. Esch ◽  
L. Bengtsson

Abstract The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in the equatorial zonal wind is an outstanding phenomenon of the atmosphere. The QBO is driven by a broad spectrum of waves excited in the tropical troposphere and modulates transport and mixing of chemical compounds in the whole middle atmosphere. Therefore, the simulation of the QBO in general circulation models and chemistry climate models is an important issue. Here, aspects of the climatology and forcing of a spontaneously occurring QBO in a middle-atmosphere model are evaluated, and its influence on the climate and variability of the tropical middle atmosphere is investigated. Westerly and easterly phases are considered separately, and 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) data are used as a reference where appropriate. It is found that the simulated QBO is realistic in many details. Resolved large-scale waves are particularly important for the westerly phase, while parameterized gravity wave drag is more important for the easterly phase. Advective zonal wind tendencies are important for asymmetries between westerly and easterly phases, as found for the suppression of the easterly phase downward propagation. The simulation of the QBO improves the tropical upwelling and the atmospheric tape recorder compared to a model without a QBO. The semiannual oscillation is simulated realistically only if the QBO is represented. In sensitivity tests, it is found that the simulated QBO is strongly sensitive to changes in the gravity wave sources. The sensitivity to the tested range of horizontal resolutions is small. The stratospheric vertical resolution must be better than 1 km to simulate a realistic QBO.


2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 590-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Charlton ◽  
Alan O’Neill ◽  
William A. Lahoz ◽  
Paul Berrisford

Abstract The polar vortex of the Southern Hemisphere (SH) split dramatically during September 2002. The large-scale dynamical effects were manifest throughout the stratosphere and upper troposphere, corresponding to two distinct cyclonic centers in the upper troposphere–stratosphere system. High-resolution (T511) ECMWF analyses, supplemented by analyses from the Met Office, are used to present a detailed dynamical analysis of the event. First, the anomalous evolution of the SH polar vortex is placed in the context of the evolution that is usually witnessed during spring. Then high-resolution fields of potential vorticity (PV) from ECMWF are used to reveal several dynamical features of the split. Vortex fragments are rapidly sheared out into sheets of high (modulus) PV, which subsequently roll up into distinct synoptic-scale vortices. It is proposed that the stratospheric circulation becomes hydrodynamically unstable through a significant depth of the troposphere–stratosphere system as the polar vortex elongates.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zelin Cai ◽  
Ke Wei ◽  
Luyang Xu ◽  
Xiaoqing Lan ◽  
Wen Chen ◽  
...  

As a basic part of the atmosphere, the stratosphere plays an important role in the tropospheric climate and weather systems, especially during the winter, when the stratosphere and troposphere have their strongest interactions. This study assesses the abilities of the Fifth Phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5) and CMIP3 models to simulate the boreal winter stratospheric polar vortex. Analysis indicates that the models with well-resolved stratospheres, that is, with a high model top (HTOP) covering the whole stratosphere, a high vertical resolution (HVer) of the stratosphere, and nonorographic gravity wave drag (NOG), rank higher in both the temporal scoring system and the spatial scoring system. The extreme cold polar vortex bias, which was found in the CMIP3 models, vanishes in the CMIP5 models with HTOP, HVer, and NOG but persists in the other CMIP5 models. A dynamical analysis shows that the heat flux propagating into the stratosphere is stronger in models with HTOP, HVer, and NOG, but these propagations are still weaker than those in the ERA40 reanalysis, indicating the lack of variability in the current CMIP5 models.


Author(s):  
Andreas Dörnbrack

AbstractPlanetary waves disturbed the hitherto stable Arctic stratospheric polar vortex in the middle of January 2016 in such a way that unique tropospheric and stratospheric flow conditions for vertically and horizontally propagating mountain waves developed. Co-existing strong low-level westerly winds across almost all European mountain ranges plus the almost zonally-aligned polar front jet created these favorable conditions for deeply propagating gravity waves. Furthermore, the northward displacement of the polar night jet resulted in a wide-spread coverage of stratospheric mountainwaves trailing across northern Europe. This paper describes the particular meteorological setting by analyzing the tropospheric and stratospheric flows based on the ERA5 data. The potential of the flow for exciting internal gravity waves from non-orographic sources is evaluated across all altitudes by considering various indices to indicate flow imbalances as δ, Ro, Roζ, Ro┴, and ΔNBE. The analyzed gravity waves are described and characterized. The main finding of this case study is the exceptionally vast extension of the mountain waves trailing to high latitudes originating from the flow across the mountainous sources that are located at about 45°N. The magnitudes of the simulated stratospheric temperature perturbations attain values larger than 10K and are comparable to values as documented by recent case studies of large-amplitude mountain waves over South America. The zonal means of the resolved and parameterized stratospheric wave drag during the mountain wave event peak at − 4.5ms−1 d−1 and − 32.2 ms−1 d−1, respectively.


2021 ◽  
Vol 217 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
T. V. Zaqarashvili ◽  
M. Albekioni ◽  
J. L. Ballester ◽  
Y. Bekki ◽  
L. Biancofiore ◽  
...  

AbstractRossby waves are a pervasive feature of the large-scale motions of the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans. These waves (also known as planetary waves and r-modes) also play an important role in the large-scale dynamics of different astrophysical objects such as the solar atmosphere and interior, astrophysical discs, rapidly rotating stars, planetary and exoplanetary atmospheres. This paper provides a review of theoretical and observational aspects of Rossby waves on different spatial and temporal scales in various astrophysical settings. The physical role played by Rossby-type waves and associated instabilities is discussed in the context of solar and stellar magnetic activity, angular momentum transport in astrophysical discs, planet formation, and other astrophysical processes. Possible directions of future research in theoretical and observational aspects of astrophysical Rossby waves are outlined.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Klemens Hocke ◽  
Franziska Schranz ◽  
Eliane Maillard Barras ◽  
Lorena Moreira ◽  
Niklaus Kämpfer

Abstract. Observation and simulation of individual ozone streamers are important for the description and understanding of nonlinear transport processes in the middle atmosphere. A sudden increase in mid-stratospheric ozone occurred above Central Europe on December 4, 2015. The GROunbased Millimeter-wave Ozone Spectrometer (GROMOS) and the Stratospheric Ozone MOnitoring RAdiometer (SOMORA) in Switzerland measured an ozone enhancement of about 30 % at 34 km altitude from December 1 to December 4. A similar ozone increase is simulated by the Specified Dynamics-Whole Atmosphere Community Climate (SD-WACCM) model. Further, the global ozone fields at 34 km altitude from SD-WACCM and the satellite experiment Aura/MLS show a remarkable agreement for the location and the timing of an ozone streamer (large-scale tongue like structure) extending from the subtropics in Northern America over the Atlantic to Central Europe. This agreement indicates that SD-WACCM can inform us about the wind inside the Atlantic ozone streamer. SD-WACCM shows an eastward wind of about 100 m/s inside the Atlantic streamer in the mid-stratosphere. SD-WACCM shows that the Atlantic streamer flows along the edge region of the polar vortex. The Atlantic streamer turns southward at an erosion region of the polar vortex located above the Caspian Sea. The spatial distribution of stratospheric water vapour indicates a filament outgoing from this erosion region. The Atlantic streamer, the polar vortex erosion region and the water vapour filament belong to the process of planetary wave breaking in the so-called surf zone of the Northern mid-latitude winter stratosphere.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Dörnbrack

<table><tbody><tr><td> <p><span>Planetary waves disturbed the hitherto stable Arctic stratospheric polar vortex mid of<br>January 2016 in such a way that unique tropospheric and stratospheric flow conditions<br>for vertically and horizontally propagating mountain waves developed. Co-existing<br>strong low-level westerly winds across almost all European mountain ranges plus the<br>almost zonally-aligned polar front jet created these favorable conditions for deeply<br>propagating gravity waves. Furthermore, the northward displacement of the polar night<br>jet resulted in a wide-spread coverage of stratospheric mountain waves trailling across<br>northern Europe. This paper describes the particular meteorological setting by<br>analyzing the tropospheric and stratospheric flows based on the ERA5 data. The<br>potential of the flow for exciting internal gravity waves from non-orographic sources is<br>evaluated across all altitudes by considering various instability indices as δ , Ro, Ro ζ , Ro<sub>⊥</sub> ,<br>and Δ NBE</span><span>. </span></p> <p><span>The analyzed gravity waves are described and characterized in terms of<br>commonly used parameters. The main finding of this case study is the exceptionally<br>vast extension of the mountain waves trailing to high latitudes originating from the flow<br>across the mountainous sources that are located at about 45 N. As a useful addition to<br>the case study, tracks for potential research flights are proposed that sample the<br>waves by a vertically pointing airborne remote-sensing instrument. Benefits and<br>drawbacks of the different approaches to observe the meridional focussing of the<br>mountain waves into the polar night jet are discussed.</span></p> </td> </tr></tbody></table><p> </p>


2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 2096-2116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Hitchcock ◽  
Theodore G. Shepherd ◽  
Gloria L. Manney

Abstract A novel diagnostic tool is presented, based on polar-cap temperature anomalies, for visualizing daily variability of the Arctic stratospheric polar vortex over multiple decades. This visualization illustrates the ubiquity of extended-time-scale recoveries from stratospheric sudden warmings, termed here polar-night jet oscillation (PJO) events. These are characterized by an anomalously warm polar lower stratosphere that persists for several months. Following the initial warming, a cold anomaly forms in the middle stratosphere, as does an anomalously high stratopause, both of which descend while the lower-stratospheric anomaly persists. These events are characterized in four datasets: Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) temperature observations; the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) and Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalyses; and an ensemble of three 150-yr simulations from the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model. The statistics of PJO events in the model are found to agree very closely with those of the observations and reanalyses. The time scale for the recovery of the polar vortex following sudden warmings correlates strongly with the depth to which the warming initially descends. PJO events occur following roughly half of all major sudden warmings and are associated with an extended period of suppressed wave-activity fluxes entering the polar vortex. They follow vortex splits more frequently than they do vortex displacements. They are also related to weak vortex events as identified by the northern annular mode; in particular, those weak vortex events followed by a PJO event show a stronger tropospheric response. The long time scales, predominantly radiative dynamics, and tropospheric influence of PJO events suggest that they represent an important source of conditional skill in seasonal forecasting.


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