Atmosphere–Ocean Coupled Energy Budgets of Tropical Convective Discharge–Recharge Cycles
[1];
- University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States); Colorado State University
- U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Stennis Space Center, MS (United States)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Physical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, CO (United States)
- University of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
- University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States)
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (United States)
- Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (United States)
- University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States); National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Chemical Sciences Laboratory, Boulder, CO (United States)
An energy budget combining atmospheric moist static energy (MSE) and upper ocean heat content (OHC) is used to examine the processes impacting day-to-day convective variability in the tropical Indian and western Pacific Oceans. Feedbacks arising from atmospheric and oceanic transport processes, surface fluxes, and radiation drive the cyclical amplification and decay of convection around suppressed and enhanced convective equilibrium states, referred to as shallow and deep convective discharge–recharge (D–R) cycles, respectively. The shallow convective D–R cycle is characterized by alternating enhancements of shallow cumulus and stratocumulus, often in the presence of extensive cirrus clouds. The deep convective D–R cycle is characterized by sequential increases in shallow cumulus, congestus, narrow deep precipitation, wide deep precipitation, a mix of detached anvil and altostratus and altocumulus, and once again shallow cumulus cloud types. Transitions from the shallow to deep D–R cycle are favored by a positive “column process” feedback, while discharge of convective instability and OHC by mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) contributes to transitions from the deep to shallow D–R cycle. Variability in the processes impacting MSE is comparable in magnitude to, but considerably more balanced than, variability in the processes impacting OHC. Variations in the quantity of atmosphere–ocean coupled static energy (MSE + OHC) result primarily from atmospheric and oceanic transport processes, but are mainly realized as changes in OHC. MCSs are unique in their ability to rapidly discharge both lower-tropospheric convective instability and OHC.
- Research Organization:
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER). Biological Systems Science (BSS)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0020092
- OSTI ID:
- 2263354
- Journal Information:
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Journal Name: Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 81; ISSN 0022-4928
- Publisher:
- American Meteorological SocietyCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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