Other
Scientific paper
Jan 1990
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1990phdt........36s&link_type=abstract
Ph.D. Thesis Princeton Univ., NJ.
Other
Climatology, Mathematical Models, Momentum Transfer, Planetary Atmospheres, Planetary Rotation, Primitive Equations, Superrotation, Troposphere, Vortex Breakdown, Barotropism, Drying, Equators, Heating, Static Stability, Temperate Regions, Torque, Tropical Regions
Scientific paper
The presence of strong equatorial winds in the same direction as planetary rotation, often referred to as superrotation, is a conspicuous feature of the atmospheres of planets such as Venus and Jupiter. But this kind of superrotation is not observed in the Earth's troposphere, which is characterized by weak easterlies near the equator. Superrotating climatologies have been encountered in numerical experiments with two-level global primitive equation models, even for Earth-like parameter ranges. An attempt is made to explain the existence of these anomalous superrotating climatologies, in the hope that this may help to understand why some planets have superrotating atmospheres, while others do not. The response of an idealized dry two-level primitive equation model to stationary heating in the tropics is studied. Following the work of other investigators, it is shown that sufficiently strong tropical eddy heating produces a sudden transition to a superrotating climatology. The development of strong westerly flow in the tropics is accompanied by a dramatic reversal in the direction of horizontal eddy momentum flux transport. It is noted that the presence of strong equatorial westerlies can cause the equator to become a turning point for eddies of large zonal wavenumbers. The response to tropical eddy heating is then compared to the response to an imposed westerly torque. The similarities between these two kinds of responses indicated that the torque due to mid-latitude transient eddies breaking in the tropics plays a crucial role in this transition to superrotation. It is argued that although weak equatorial westerlies would allow mid-latitude transients to penetrate deeper into the tropics, stronger westerlies would tend to reflect these transients away from the deep tropics. This argument is preceded by a discussion of axisymmetric motions in the two-level model and their interaction with barotropic eddies. Also discussed is the sensitivity of this superrotating transition to some of the important model parameters, such as static stability and rotation rate.
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