Eddy heat flux convergence in the troposphere and its effect on the meridional circulation and ozone distribution

Journal Article · Fri Dec 15 04:00:00 EST 1995 · Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1995)052<4472:EHFCIT>2.0.CO;2· OSTI ID:245199

Choi, W; Rotman, D A; Wuebbles, D J ^[1]

---

1. Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, CA (United States)

In this study the vertical convergence of the eddy heat flux, found as a forcing term in the thermodynamic energy equation of the transformed Eulerian mean formulation, is estimated in the troposphere and in the lower stratosphere from climatalogical data. Results show that while the heating rates caused by these eddy effects are small in the stratosphere they may play an important role in tropospheric circulation. The eddy-caused additions to the forcing field are seen as a region of significant cooling in the midladitudes at the midtroposphere level and of weak heating throughout the tropical region. This net global cooling is important in balancing net global heating. In addition, the heating due to meridional heat flux is found to dominate compared to heating due to the vertical heat flux. To study circulation changes, the residual mean circulation is calculated with and without the estimated eddy heating effects. The added forcing causes additional circulation in each hemisphere that coincides with the primary circulation due to zonal-mean diabatic heating. Therefore, the eddy heat flux convergence has a significant role in enhancing the zonal-mean residual circulation in the troposphere. 26 refs., 9 fig.

• OSTI ID: 245199
• Journal Information: Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Journal Name: Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences Journal Issue: 24 Vol. 52; ISSN 0022-4928; ISSN JAHSAK
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION
ENERGY BALANCE
GLOBAL ASPECTS
MIXING
TROPOSPHERE