Assessment of radiative heating errors in Tropical Atmosphere Ocean array marine air temperature measurements

We assess the radiative heating error affecting marine air temperature (MAT) measurements in the Tropical Atmosphere Ocean array. The error in historical observations is found to be ubiquitous across the array, spatially variable and approximately stationary in time. The error induces spurious warming during daytime hours, but does not affect night-time temperatures. The range encompassing the real, unknown daily- and monthly-mean values is determined using daytime and night-time mean temperatures as upper and lower limits. The uncertainty in MAT is less than or equal to 0.5 °C and 0.2 °C for 95% of daily and monthly estimates, respectively. Uncertainties impact surface turbulent heat flux estimates, with potentially significant influences on the quantification of coupled ocean-atmosphere processes.

A model study of the 30-50 day oscillation In the tropical atmosphere

Using a global spectral model with wave-CISK formulation we have generated an eastward de which. Resembles the observed 30-50 day mode. This has a scale of global wave number one and two years structure in the vertical. It has the structure of a composite of Kelvin and Rossby waves. This composite system moves eastwards. We have also studied a linear two-level analytical model to understand the nonlinear spectral model response. In the linear as well as in the nonlinear spectral model, as we Increase the moisture availability factor the speeds of the waves decrease. In the linear model this speed is found to be independent of drag for all types of waves. In the nonlinear spectral model for a given drag there is a critical value of the moisture availability factor for which the wave becomes stationary and beyond which even shows westward propagation. Thus both moisture availability and nonlinearity appear to contribute to the slow eastward speed of the equatorial 30-50 day mode.

Spontaneous Aggregation of Convective Storms

Idealized simulations of the tropical atmosphere have predicted that clouds can spontaneously clump together in space, despite perfectly homogeneous settings. This phenomenon has been called self-aggregation, and it results in a state where a moist cloudy region with intense deep convective storms is surrounded by extremely dry subsiding air devoid of deep clouds. We review here the main findings from theoretical work and idealized models of this phenomenon, highlighting the physical processes believed to play a key role in convective self-aggregation. We also review the growing literature on the importance and implications of this phenomenon for the tropical atmosphere, notably, for the hydrological cycle and for precipitation extremes, in our current and in a warming climate. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics, Volume 54 is January 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.