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The Double Peak in Upwelling and Heating in the Tropical Lower Stratosphere
- Source :
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences. 73:1889-1901
- Publication Year :
- 2016
- Publisher :
- American Meteorological Society, 2016.
-
Abstract
- The processes responsible for double-peak latitudinal structures in the time-averaged tropical lower-stratospheric upwelling, centered near 70 hPa and 20°N/S, previously noted in ERA-Interim and other reanalysis and model datasets, are considered. It is demonstrated that the structure of the wave force resolved by ERA-Interim consistently balances the angular momentum transport associated with the double peak. Analysis of the corresponding structures in diabatic heating rates from ERA-Interim indicates that the peaks arise predominantly from the meridional structure in ozone concentrations and the associated absorption of both shortwave and longwave radiation. Additional smaller contributions arise from local absorption of longwave radiation emitted from the relatively warm layers above and below, as well as from cloud-related radiative effects and nonradiative diabatic heating. The temperature at 70 hPa is slightly higher near 20°N/S than at the equator, opposite of what would be expected if the latitudinal structure in radiative heating were associated with local relaxation. It is proposed on the basis of this analysis that the primary cause of the peaks in upwelling is the externally imposed (i.e., nonrelaxational) part of the radiative heating field. The dynamical plausibility of this hypothesis is investigated in a companion paper.
- Subjects :
- Atmospheric Science
010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciences
Atmospheric circulation
European research
Lead (sea ice)
37 Earth Sciences
010502 geochemistry & geophysics
Atmospheric sciences
01 natural sciences
Climatology
3701 Atmospheric Sciences
Environmental science
Upwelling
Stratosphere
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 15200469 and 00224928
- Volume :
- 73
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....3f27ba87920024a2bf421927f0750217