Statistics – Applications
Scientific paper
Dec 2005
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005agufm.p13a0144s&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2005, abstract #P13A-0144
Statistics
Applications
0343 Planetary Atmospheres (5210, 5405, 5704), 3346 Planetary Meteorology (5445, 5739), 3367 Theoretical Modeling, 5405 Atmospheres (0343, 1060), 5445 Meteorology (3346)
Scientific paper
We use a simplified GCM to examine atmospheric dynamics for different radiative parameters. With the simplified physics parameterizations, the GCM amounts to the forced primitive equations on a sphere. There is a simplified surface friction and a diabatic heating, calculated by a gray-gas model of IR radiation. Other than the implied momentum flux due to the Rayleigh friction, there are no surface fluxes and there are no convection or boundary layer parameterizations in the model. The radiative model has two important parameters. The first parameter (α) determines the ratio of scale heights of the main atmospheric component to the main IR absorber. The second is the pole to equator insolation/SST gradient (Δ T). We find that the zonal mean, time mean dynamics display two distinct regimes: 1) low α - representing a present Mars-like atmosphere, and 2) high α - representing the Earth. We attribute many of the commonly seen differences between both observations and GCM studies of Earth and present Mars to the radiative parameter, α. In particular, we find highly regular, deep, equivalent barotropic eddies with large zonal scale in the low α case. This behavior is typical of present Mars but we find it even when Earth-like parameters (such as the planet's radius and gravity and R/cp) are used, as long as we are in the low α regime. As α is increased we find a shift in the typical zonal scale of eddies toward shorter waves. The waves also become shallower and more irregular, as is typical of eddies on Earth. The transition between these regimes can be predicted from the radiation model. We also find a dependence of the tropopause height on α. For low α, the models do not form a distinct tropopause while they do so for high α. We also perform a parameter sweep on Δ T for two specific model configurations, representing Earth and present Mars. We highlight the similarities and differences between the planets, as a function of Δ T. Finally, we review some possible applications of this theory to theories of midlatitude static stability, tropopause height and baroclinic adjustment.
Pierrehumbert Raymond T.
Sabato Jude S.
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