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1
Chen, Gang, and Pablo Zurita-Gotor. "The Tropospheric Jet Response to Prescribed Zonal Forcing in an Idealized Atmospheric Model." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 65, no. 7 (2008): 2254–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/2007jas2589.1.
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Abstract This paper explores the tropospheric jet shift to a prescribed zonal torque in an idealized dry atmospheric model with high stratospheric resolution. The jet moves in opposite directions for torques on the jet’s equatorward and poleward flanks in the troposphere. This can be explained by considering how the critical latitudes for wave activity absorption change, where the eastward propagation speed of eddies equals the background zonal mean zonal wind. While the increased zonal winds in the subtropics allow the midlatitude eddies to propagate farther into the tropics and result in the equatorward shift in the critical latitudes, the increased winds in the midlatitudes accelerate the eastward eddy phase speeds and lead to the poleward shift in the critical latitudes. In contrast, the jet moves poleward when a westerly torque is placed in the extratropical stratosphere irrespective of the forcing latitude. The downward penetration of zonal winds to the troposphere displays a poleward slope for the subtropical torque, an equatorward slope for the high-latitude torque, and less tilting for the midlatitude torques. The stratospheric eddies play a key role in transferring zonal wind anomalies downward into the troposphere. It is argued that these stratospheric zonal wind anomalies can affect the tropospheric jet by altering the eastward propagation of tropospheric eddies. Additionally, the zonal wind response to a subtropical zonal torque in this idealized model is of value in understanding the tropospheric jet sensitivity to the orographic gravity wave drag parameterization in a realistic climate model.
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Fudeyasu, Hironori, Tsuneo Kuwagata, Yukitaka Ohashi, Shin-ichi Suzuki, Yasutomo Kiyohara, and Yu Hozumi. "Numerical Study of the Local Downslope Wind “Hirodo-Kaze” in Japan." Monthly Weather Review 136, no. 1 (2008): 27–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/2007mwr2049.1.
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Abstract The “Hirodo-kaze,” a local strong wind accompanying the downslope winds in Japan, is examined using a mesoscale numerical model. The model successfully reproduces the major features of the observed Hirodo-kaze that occurred in association with Typhoon Pabuk. During the Hirodo-kaze, the severe downslope winds in the transitional flow develop in the lower troposphere below the mean-state critical layer. The Hirodo-kaze is closely linked to the strong wind region accompanying the severe downslope winds. After the cessation of the Hirodo-kaze, distinct mountain waves dominate in the lower troposphere where the Scorer parameter l2 decreases with height. The region of strong wind retreats windward as the Hirodo-kaze ceases. Temporal changes in the characteristics of mountain waves in the lee of Mt. Nagi are primarily attributed to the changes in the large-scale environmental winds due to the movement of the intense cyclone. Environmental conditions favorable for the occurrence of the Hirodo-kaze include strong northerlies in the lower troposphere overlain by southerlies in the middle troposphere. The intense cyclone that moves over the sea southwest of the Kii peninsula creates favorable environmental conditions that support the occurrence of the Hirodo-kaze.
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Romps, David M. "Rayleigh Damping in the Free Troposphere." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 71, no. 2 (2014): 553–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jas-d-13-062.1.
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Abstract This paper explores whether cumulus drag (i.e., the damping of winds by convective momentum transport) can be described by an effective Rayleigh drag (i.e., the damping of winds on a constant time scale). Analytical expressions are derived for the damping time scale and descent speed of wind profiles as caused by unorganized convection. Unlike Rayleigh drag, which has a constant damping time scale and zero descent speed, the theory predicts a damping time scale and a descent speed that both depend on the vertical wavelength of the wind profile. These results predict that short wavelengths damp faster and descend faster than long wavelengths, and these predictions are confirmed using large-eddy simulations. Both theory and simulations predict that the convective damping of large-scale circulations occurs on a time scale of O(1–10) days for vertical wavelengths in the range of 2–10 km.
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Garfinkel, Chaim I., and Dennis L. Hartmann. "The Influence of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation on the Troposphere in Winter in a Hierarchy of Models. Part II: Perpetual Winter WACCM Runs." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 68, no. 9 (2011): 2026–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/2011jas3702.1.
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Abstract Experiments with the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM) are used to understand the influence of the stratospheric tropical quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in the troposphere. The zonally symmetric circulation in thermal wind balance with the QBO affects high-frequency eddies throughout the extratropical troposphere. The influence of the QBO is strongest and most robust in the North Pacific near the jet exit region, in agreement with observations. Variability of the stratospheric polar vortex does not appear to explain the effect of the QBO in the troposphere in the model, although it does contribute to the response in the North Atlantic. Anomalies in tropical deep convection associated with the QBO appear to damp, rather than drive, the effect of the QBO in the extratropical troposphere. Rather, the crucial mechanism whereby the QBO modulates the extratropical troposphere appears to be the interaction of tropospheric transient waves with the axisymmetric circulation in thermal wind balance with the QBO. The response to QBO winds of realistic amplitude is stronger for perpetual February radiative conditions and sea surface temperatures than perpetual January conditions, consistent with the observed response in reanalysis data, in a coupled seasonal WACCM integration, and in dry model experiments described in Part I.
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Jenkins, G. S., and J. H. Ryu. "Linking horizontal and vertical transports of biomass fire emissions to the Tropical Atlantic Ozone Paradox during the Northern Hemisphere winter season: climatology." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions 3, no. 5 (2003): 5061–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acpd-3-5061-2003.
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Abstract. During the Northern hemisphere winter season, biomass burning is widespread in West Africa, yet the total tropospheric column ozone values (<30 DU) over much of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean (15° N–5° S) are relatively low. At the same time, the tropospheric column ozone values in the Southern Tropical Atlantic are higher than those in the Northern Hemisphere (ozone paradox). We examine the causes for low tropospheric column ozone values by considering the horizontal and vertical transport of biomass fire emissions in West Africa during November through March, using observed data which characterizes fires, aerosols, horizontal winds, precipitation, lightning and outgoing longwave radiation. We have found that easterly winds prevail in the lower troposphere but transition to westerly winds at pressure levels lower than 500 hPa. A persistent anticyclone over West Africa at 700 hPa is responsible for strong easterly winds, which causes a net outflow of ozone/ozone precursors from biomass burning in West Africa across the Atlantic Ocean towards South America. The lowest outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and highest precipitation rates are generally found over the central Atlantic, some distance downstream of fires in West Africa making the vertical transport of ozone and ozone precursors less likely and ozone destruction more likely. However, lightning over land areas in Central Africa and South America can lead to enhanced ozone levels in the upper troposphere especially over the Southern tropical Atlantic during the Northern Hemisphere winter season.
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Jenkins, G. S., and J. H. Ryu. "Linking horizontal and vertical transports of biomass fire emissionsto the tropical Atlantic ozone paradox during the Northern Hemisphere winter season: climatology." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 4, no. 2 (2004): 449–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-4-449-2004.
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Abstract. During the Northern hemisphere winter season, biomass burning is widespread in West Africa, yet the total tropospheric column ozone values (<30DU) over much of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean (15°N-5°S) are relatively low. At the same time, the tropospheric column ozone values in the Southern Tropical Atlantic are higher than those in the Northern Hemisphere (ozone paradox). We examine the causes for low tropospheric column ozone values by considering the horizontal and vertical transport of biomass fire emissions in West Africa during November through March, using observed data which characterizes fires, aerosols, horizontal winds, precipitation, lightning and outgoing longwave radiation. We have found that easterly winds prevail in the lower troposphere but transition to westerly winds at pressure levels lower than 500hPa. A persistent anticyclone over West Africa at 700hPa is responsible for strong easterly winds, which causes a net outflow of ozone/ozone precursors from biomass burning in West Africa across the Atlantic Ocean towards South America. The lowest outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and highest precipitation rates are generally found over the central Atlantic, some distance downstream of fires in West Africa making the vertical transport of ozone and ozone precursors less likely and ozone destruction more likely. However, lightning over land areas in Central Africa and South America can lead to enhanced ozone levels in the upper troposphere especially over the Southern tropical Atlantic during the Northern Hemisphere winter season.
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Kennel, Charles F., and Elena Yulaeva. "Influence of Arctic sea-ice variability on Pacific trade winds." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 117, no. 6 (2020): 2824–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1717707117.
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A conceptual model connecting seasonal loss of Arctic sea ice to midlatitude extreme weather events is applied to the 21st-century intensification of Central Pacific trade winds, emergence of Central Pacific El Nino events, and weakening of the North Pacific Aleutian Low Circulation. According to the model, Arctic Ocean warming following the summer sea-ice melt drives vertical convection that perturbs the upper troposphere. Static stability calculations show that upward convection occurs in annual 40- to 45-d episodes over the seasonally ice-free areas of the Beaufort-to-Kara Sea arc. The episodes generate planetary waves and higher-frequency wave trains that transport momentum and heat southward in the upper troposphere. Regression of upper tropospheric circulation data on September sea-ice area indicates that convection episodes produce wave-mediated teleconnections between the maximum ice-loss region north of the Siberian Arctic coast and the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). These teleconnections generate oppositely directed trade-wind anomalies in the Central and Eastern Pacific during boreal winter. The interaction of upper troposphere waves with the ITCZ air–sea column may also trigger Central Pacific El Nino events. Finally, waves reflected northward from the ITCZ air column and/or generated by triggered El Nino events may be responsible for the late winter weakening of the Aleutian Low Circulation in recent years.
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Rao, I. Srinivasa, V. K. Anandan, and P. Narasimha Reddy. "Evaluation of DBS Wind Measurement Technique in Different Beam Configurations for a VHF Wind Profiler." Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology 25, no. 12 (2008): 2304–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/2008jtecha1113.1.
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Abstract Atmospheric winds in the troposphere have been observed routinely for many years with wind profiling (VHF and UHF) radars using the Doppler beam swinging (DBS) technique. Accuracy of wind estimates using wind profiling radars with different beam configurations has its limitations due to both the system of observation and atmospheric conditions. This paper presents a quantitative analysis and evaluation of horizontal wind estimation in different beam configurations up to an altitude of 18 km using the mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere (MST) radar located in Gadanki, India. Horizontal wind velocities are derived in three different ways using two-, three-, and four-beam configurations. To know the performance of each configuration, radar-derived winds have been compared with the winds obtained by simultaneous GPS sonde balloon measurements, which are considered to be a standard reference by default. Results show that horizontal winds measured using three different beam configurations are comparable in general but discrepancy varies from one beam configuration to the other. It is observed that horizontal winds measured using four-beam configuration (east, west, north, and south) have better estimates than the other two-beam configurations. The standard deviation was found to be varying from 1.4 to 2.5 m s−1 and percentage error is about 9.68%–12.73% in four-beam configuration, whereas in other beam configurations the standard deviation is about 1.65–3.9 m s−1 and the percentage error is about 11.29%–15.16% with reference to GPS sonde balloon–measured winds.
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Berkovic, Sigalit, and Pinhas Alpert. "A Synoptic Study of Low Troposphere Wind at the Israeli Coast." Open Atmospheric Science Journal 12, no. 1 (2018): 80–106. http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874282301812010080.
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Objective:This research is dedicated to the study of the feasibility of surface wind downscaling from 925 or 850 hPa winds according to synoptic class, season and hour.Methods:Two aspects are examined: low tropospheric wind veering and wind speed correlation and verification of the ERA-Interim analysis wind by comparison to radiosonde data at Beit Dagan, a station on the Israeli coast.Results:Relatively small (< 60°) cross angles between the 1000 hPa wind vector and the 925 hPa or 850 hPa wind vector at 12Z and high correlation (0.6-0.8) between the wind speed at the two levels were found only under winter lows. Relatively small cross angles and small wind speed correlation were found under highs to the west and Persian troughs.The verification of ERA-Interim analysis in comparison with radiosonde data has shown good prediction of wind direction at 12Z at 1000, 925 and 850 hPa levels (RMSE 20°-60°) and lower prediction quality at 1000 hPa at 0Z (RMSE 60°-90°). The analysis under-predicts the wind speed, especially at 1000 hPa. The wind speed RMSE is 1-2 m/s, except for winter lows with 2-3 m/s RMSE at 0Z, 12Z at all levels.Conclusion:Inference of surface wind may be possible at 12Z from 925 or 825 hPa winds under winter lows. Inference of wind direction from 925 hPa winds may be possible under highs to the west and Persian troughs. Wind speed should be inferred by interpolation, according to historical data of measurements or high resolution model.
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Francis, Jennifer A., Elias Hunter, and Cheng-Zhi Zou. "Arctic Tropospheric Winds Derived from TOVS Satellite Retrievals." Journal of Climate 18, no. 13 (2005): 2270–85. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jcli3407.1.
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Abstract Accurate three-dimensional wind fields are essential for diagnosing a variety of important climate processes in the Arctic, such as the advection and deposition of heat and moisture, changes in circulation features, and transport of trace constituents. In light of recent studies revealing significant biases in upper-level winds over the Arctic Ocean from reanalyses, new daily wind fields are generated from 22.5 yr of satellite-retrieved thermal-wind profiles, corrected with a recently developed mass-conservation scheme. Compared to wind measurements from rawinsondes during the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic (SHEBA) experiment, biases in satellite-retrieved winds are near zero in the meridional direction, versus biases of over 50% for reanalyses. Errors in the zonal component are smaller than those observed in reanalysis winds in the upper troposphere, while in the lower troposphere the effects of Greenland introduce uncertainty in the mass-conservation calculation. Further reduction in error may be achieved by incorporating winds retrieved from feature-tracking techniques using satellite imagers. Overall, satellite-retrieved winds are superior to reanalysis products over the data-sparse Arctic Ocean and provide increased accuracy for analyses requiring wind information. Trends and anomalies for the 22.5-yr record are calculated for both meridional and zonal winds at eight levels between the surface and 300 hPa. Annual mean trends are similar at varying levels, reflecting the relatively barotropic nature of the Arctic troposphere. Zonal winds are more westerly over Eurasia and the western Arctic Ocean, while westerlies have weakened over northern Canada. Combined with the corresponding pattern in meridional winds, these results suggest that the polar vortex has, on average, shifted toward northern Canada. Seasonal trends show that some changes persist throughout the year while others vary in magnitude and sign. Most striking are spring patterns, which differ markedly from the other seasons. Changes in meridional winds are consistent with observed trends in melt-onset date and sea ice concentration in the marginal seas. Anomalies in zonal wind profiles exhibit decadal-scale cyclicity in the eastern Arctic Ocean, while overall shifts in anomaly signs are evident and vary by region. The winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index correlates moderately with meridional wind anomalies in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic Ocean: positively (0.48) in the Barents Sea and negatively (−0.59) in the Lincoln Sea. These observed trends and anomalies are expected to translate to changes in advected heat and moisture into the Arctic basin, which are likely linked to trends in sea ice extent, melt onset, cloud properties, and surface temperature.
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Lee, C. F., G. Vaughan, and D. A. Hooper. "Evaluation of wind profiles from the NERC MST Radar, Aberystwyth, UK." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions 7, no. 5 (2014): 4589–621. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/amtd-7-4589-2014.
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Abstract. This study quantifies the uncertainties in winds measured by the Aberystwyth Mesosphere-Stratosphere-Troposphere (MST) radar (52.4° N, 4.0° W), before and after its renovation in March 2011. 127 radiosondes provide an independent measure of winds. Differences between radiosonde and radar-measured horizontal winds are correlated with long-term averages of vertical velocities, suggesting an influence from local mountain waves. These local influences are an important consideration when using radar winds as a measure of regional conditions, particularly for numerical weather prediction. In those applications, local effects represent a source of sampling error additional to the inherent uncertainties in the measurements themselves. The radar renovation improved the SNR of measurements, with correspondingly improved altitude coverage. It also corrected an under-estimate of horizontal wind speeds attributed to beam formation problems, due to component failure pre-renovation. The standard error in radar-measured winds averaged over half-an-hour increases with wind speed and altitude, and is 0.6–2.5 m s−1 (5–20% of wind speed) for post-renovation horizontal winds. Pre-renovation values are typically 0.4 m s−1 (0.03 m s−1) larger. The standard error in radial velocities is < 0.04 m s−1. Eight weeks of special radar operation are used to investigate the effects of echo power aspect sensitivity. Corrections for echo power aspect sensitivity remove an underestimate of horizontal wind speeds, however aspect sensitivity is azimuthally anisotropic at the scale of routine observations (≈ 1 h). This anisotropy introduces additional random error into wind profiles. For winds averaged over half-an-hour, the random error is around 3.5% above 8 km, but as large as 4.5% in the mid-troposphere.
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Alexander, Simon, and Damian Murphy. "The Seasonal Cycle of Lower-Tropospheric Gravity Wave Activity at Davis, Antarctica (69°S, 78°E)." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 72, no. 3 (2015): 1010–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jas-d-14-0171.1.
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Abstract A VHF wind-profiling radar located at Davis in coastal East Antarctica (69°S, 78°E) collected data from September 2009 to August 2011 in the lower troposphere. Gravity wave activity is quantified using the radar’s wind velocity variances. ERA-Interim and Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) forecast output are used to understand the gravity wave activity in the context of the synoptic-scale meteorology and to identify the likely source of the observed gravity waves. The seasonal cycle of lower-tropospheric gravity wave activity (2.0–3.2-km altitude) obtained from the radar data for waves with ground-based periods of 16 min–12.8 h reveals a maximum in winter and a minimum in summer. The largest gravity wave activity corresponds in time to the presence of a surface depression centered north of Davis that directs strong northeasterly winds along the Antarctic coastline. Case studies indicate that these winds interact with an ice ridgeline located around 60 km northeast and upwind of Davis. This interaction between synoptic northeasterly winds and the ridgeline results in the formation of orographic gravity waves, which are observed in the Davis radar data as large wind velocity perturbations.
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Engler, N., W. Singer, R. Latteck, and B. Strelnikov. "Comparison of wind measurements in the troposphere and mesosphere by VHF/MF radars and in-situ techniques." Annales Geophysicae 26, no. 12 (2008): 3693–705. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/angeo-26-3693-2008.
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Abstract. Radar wind observations at frequencies between 1.98 and 53.5 MHz obtained at polar latitudes were compared to in-situ wind measurements by radiosondes at tropospheric altitudes and to winds from falling spheres at mesospheric altitudes. Comparisons are shown for several campaigns of radiosonde and falling sphere observations. The radar wind directions agree well to the radiosonde and falling sphere observations and are highly correlated. The winds estimated from radar measurements are less than the radiosonde data by about 15% for spaced antenna observations and by about 10% for the Doppler beam swinging experiment. At mesospheric altitudes the spaced antenna winds obtained from the wide-beam Andenes MF radar are underestimated in the order of 35% and winds from the narrow-beam Saura MF radar are underestimated by about 20% compared to falling sphere winds at altitudes between 70 and 80 km. Furthermore, the relation between wind measurements using narrow-beam and wide-beam antenna arrangements for the MF radars is discussed and VHF radar observations are compared to the wide-beam MF radar.
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Callies, Jörn, Oliver Bühler, and Raffaele Ferrari. "The Dynamics of Mesoscale Winds in the Upper Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 73, no. 12 (2016): 4853–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jas-d-16-0108.1.
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Abstract Spectral analysis is applied to infer the dynamics of mesoscale winds from aircraft observations in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. Two datasets are analyzed: one collected aboard commercial aircraft and one collected using a dedicated research aircraft. A recently developed wave–vortex decomposition is used to test the observations’ consistency with linear inertia–gravity wave dynamics. The decomposition method is shown to be robust in the vicinity of the tropopause if flight tracks vary sufficiently in altitude. For the lower stratosphere, the decompositions of both datasets confirm a recent result that mesoscale winds are consistent with the polarization and dispersion relations of inertia–gravity waves. For the upper troposphere, however, the two datasets disagree: only the research aircraft data indicate consistency with linear wave dynamics at mesoscales. The source of the inconsistency is a difference in mesoscale variance of the measured along-track wind component. To further test the observed flow’s consistency with linear wave dynamics, the ratio between tropospheric and stratospheric mesoscale energy levels is compared to a simple model of upward-propagating waves that are partially reflected at the tropopause. For both datasets, the observed energy ratio is roughly consistent with the simple wave model, but wave frequencies diagnosed from the data draw into question the applicability of the monochromatic theory at wavelengths smaller than 10 km.
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Baray, Jean-Luc, Yves Pointin, Joël Van Baelen, et al. "Case Study and Climatological Analysis of Upper-Tropospheric Jet Stream and Stratosphere–Troposphere Exchanges Using VHF Profilers and Radionuclide Measurements in France." Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 56, no. 11 (2017): 3081–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jamc-d-16-0353.1.
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AbstractThe authors present a climatological analysis of tropospheric horizontal wind profiles and jet stream events using long series of wind profiles from two VHF profilers located in France: Lannemezan (2001–14) and Opme (1999–2014). A case study of jet stream and stratospheric intrusion of air into the troposphere that occurred in January 2013 is first described and demonstrates the capability of the VHF profilers to detect jet stream events. The climatology study over the two sites reveals the strongest values of seasonal wind during winter (21.4 m s−1 at 8.7-km height at Opme; 25.1 m s−1 at 9.6-km height at Lannemezan). A methodology based on the automatic detection of maximum winds on a decadal series of hourly wind profiles allows the detection of jet stream events and establishes its climatology for each site. A frequency analysis of jet stream events of westerly winds over 50 m s−1 presents a clear seasonality at the two sites, with a maximum in winter (3.5%–9.7% of hourly profiles) and a minimum in summer (near 1%). Cosmogenic radionuclides sampled at Opme also exhibit a clear seasonal variation with maximum in spring and minimum in the cold seasons; the 7Be/22Na activity ratio confirms stratosphere-to-troposphere exchanges for the studied cases. The mean interannual variability of the frequency of jet stream events is 1.5% in Opme and 2.9% in Lannemezan. Positive decadal trends are observed for the two sites: +1.6 ± 1.2% decade−1 for Opme and +2.4 ± 2.2% decade−1 for Lannemezan.
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Lee, C. F., G. Vaughan, and D. A. Hooper. "Evaluation of wind profiles from the NERC MST radar, Aberystwyth, UK." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 7, no. 9 (2014): 3113–26. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-3113-2014.
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Abstract. This study quantifies the uncertainties in winds measured by the Aberystwyth Mesosphere–Stratosphere–Troposphere (MST) radar (52.4° N, 4.0° W), before and after its renovation in March 2011. A total of 127 radiosondes provide an independent measure of winds. Differences between radiosonde and radar-measured horizontal winds are correlated with long-term averages of vertical velocities, suggesting an influence from local mountain waves. These local influences are an important consideration when using radar winds as a measure of regional conditions, particularly for numerical weather prediction. For those applications, local effects represent a source of sampling error additional to the inherent uncertainties in the measurements themselves. The radar renovation improved the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of measurements, with a corresponding improvement in altitude coverage. It also corrected an underestimate of horizontal wind speeds attributed to beam formation problems, due to pre-renovation component failure. The root mean square error (RMSE) in radar-measured horizontal wind components, averaged over half an hour, increases with wind speed and altitude, and is 0.8–2.5 m s−1 (6–12% of wind speed) for post-renovation winds. Pre-renovation values are typically 0.1 m s−1 larger. The RMSE in radial velocities is <0.04 m s−1. Eight weeks of special radar operation are used to investigate the effects of echo power aspect sensitivity. Corrections for echo power aspect sensitivity remove an underestimate of horizontal wind speeds; however aspect sensitivity is azimuthally anisotropic at the scale of routine observations (≈1 h). This anisotropy introduces random error into wind profiles. For winds averaged over half an hour, the RMSE is around 3.5% above 8 km, but as large as 4.5% in the mid-troposphere.
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Zhu, Tianfu, Huiying Deng, Jinhong Huang, et al. "Analysis of Ozone Vertical Profiles over Wuyishan Region during Spring 2022 and Their Correlations with Meteorological Factors." Atmosphere 13, no. 9 (2022): 1505. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/atmos13091505.
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Understanding the vertical structure of ozone concentrations in different seasons and their correlations with the associated meteorological conditions is crucial for exploring atmospheric ozone variability and improving the accuracy of regional ozone prediction. In this study, an ozone-sounding experiment was carried out at the Shaowu sounding Station in Fujian from November 2021 to May 2022 in order to obtain vertical profiles of ozone concentrations and synoptic variables. Based on these observations, we examined the characteristics of tropospheric ozone profiles in spring over the Wuyishan region and their comparison with wintertime ozone. The results show that compared with winter, the total ozone column (TOC) in spring has increased by 64.4%, with an enhancement of 23.8% for the troposphere and a greater increment of 69.1% for the stratosphere. The sub-peaks of tropospheric ozone below 12 km are found in both spring and winter of 2022, which are accompanied by lower relative humidity (<10% in winter and <15% in spring), temperature inversions in some cases, and intensive westerly winds. Furthermore, we investigated the relationship between ozone volume mixing ratio (OVMR) and synoptic conditions in the Wuyishan region and concluded that OVMR above 1.5 km is negatively correlated with temperature and relative humidity but positively correlated with wind speed. Additionally, springtime OVMR in the middle and upper troposphere exhibits a “funnel” distribution, showing a higher OVMR on the day of sounding observations and one day before and after that on adjacent days with low-level southwesterly winds and updrafts. While in winter, the strong downdrafts dominate on the sounding observation day.
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Orr, Andrew, Thomas J. Bracegirdle, J. Scott Hosking, et al. "Possible Dynamical Mechanisms for Southern Hemisphere Climate Change due to the Ozone Hole." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 69, no. 10 (2012): 2917–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jas-d-11-0210.1.
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Abstract The authors report a hypothesis for the dynamical mechanisms responsible for the strengthening of the Southern Hemisphere circumpolar winds from the lower stratosphere to the surface due to the ozone hole. A general circulation model forced by stratospheric ozone depletion representative of the ozone hole period successfully reproduced these observed changes. Investigation of the dynamical characteristics of the model therefore provides some insight into the actual mechanisms. From this the authors suggest the following: 1) An initial (radiative) strengthening of the lower-stratospheric winds as a result of ozone depletion conditions the polar vortex so that fewer planetary waves propagate up from the troposphere, resulting in weaker planetary wave driving. 2) This causes further strengthening of the vortex, which results in an additional reduction in upward-propagating planetary waves and initiates a positive feedback mechanism in which the weaker wave driving and the associated strengthened winds are drawn downward to the tropopause. 3) In the troposphere the midlatitude jet shifts poleward in association with increases in the synoptic wave fluxes of heat and momentum, which are the result of a positive feedback mechanism consisting of two components: 4) increases in low-level baroclinicity, and the subsequent generation of baroclinic activity (associated with a poleward heat flux), are collocated with the jet latitudinal position, and 5) strengthening anticyclonic shear increases the refraction of wave activity equatorward (associated with a poleward momentum flux). Finally, 6) confinement of planetary waves in the high-latitude troposphere is an important step to couple the stratospheric changes to the tropospheric response.
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Wu, Liguang, and Scott A. Braun. "Effects of Environmentally Induced Asymmetries on Hurricane Intensity: A Numerical Study." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 61, no. 24 (2004): 3065–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jas-3343.1.
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Abstract The influence of uniform large-scale flow, the beta effect, and vertical shear of the environmental flow on hurricane intensity is investigated in the context of the induced convective or potential vorticity asymmetries in the core region with a hydrostatic primitive equation hurricane model. In agreement with previous studies, imposition of one of these environmental effects weakens the simulated tropical cyclones. In response to the environmental influence, significant wavenumber-1 asymmetries develop. Asymmetric and symmetric tendencies of the mean radial and azimuthal winds and temperature associated with the environment-induced convective asymmetries are evaluated. The inhibiting effects of environmental influences are closely associated with the resulting eddy momentum fluxes, which tend to decelerate tangential and radial winds in the inflow and outflow layers. The corresponding changes in the symmetric circulation tend to counteract the deceleration effect. The net effect is a moderate weakening of the mean tangential and radial winds. The reduced radial wind can be viewed as an anomalous secondary radial circulation with inflow in the upper troposphere and outflow in the lower troposphere, weakening the mean secondary radial circulation.
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Zhang, Jianhao, and Paquita Zuidema. "Sunlight-absorbing aerosol amplifies the seasonal cycle in low-cloud fraction over the southeast Atlantic." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 21, no. 14 (2021): 11179–99. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-11179-2021.
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Abstract. The mean altitude of the smoke loading over the southeast Atlantic moves from the boundary layer in July to the free troposphere by October. This study details the month-by-month changes in cloud properties and the large-scale environment as a function of the biomass burning aerosol loading at Ascension Island (8∘ S, 14.5∘ W) from July to October, based on island measurements, satellite retrievals, and reanalysis. In July and August, the smoke loading predominantly varies within the boundary layer. During both months, the low-cloud fraction is less and is increasingly cumuliform when more smoke is present, with the exception of a late morning boundary layer deepening that encourages a short-lived cloud development. The meteorology varies little, suggesting aerosol–cloud interactions explain the cloudiness changes. September marks a transition month during which midlatitude disturbances can intrude into the Atlantic subtropics, constraining the free tropospheric aerosol closer to the African coast. Stronger boundary layer winds on cleaner days help deepen, dry, and cool much of the marine boundary layer compared to that on days with high smoke loadings, with stratocumulus reducing everywhere but at the northern deck edge. The September free troposphere is better mixed on smoky days compared to October. Longwave cooling rates, generated by a sharp water vapor gradient at the aerosol layer top, encourage a small-scale vertical mixing that could help maintain the well-mixed smoky September free troposphere. The October meteorology primarily varies as a function of the strength of the free tropospheric winds advecting aerosol offshore. The free tropospheric aerosol loading is less than in September, and the moisture variability is greater. Low-level clouds increase and are more stratiform in October when the smoke loadings are higher. The increased free tropospheric moisture can help sustain the clouds through a reduction in evaporative drying during cloud-top entrainment. Enhanced subsidence above the coastal upwelling region, increasing cloud droplet number concentrations, may further prolong cloud lifetime through microphysical interactions. Reduced subsidence underneath stronger free tropospheric winds at Ascension Island supports slightly higher cloud tops during smokier conditions. Overall, the monthly changes in the large-scale aerosol and moisture vertical structure act to amplify the seasonal cycle in low-cloud amount and morphology. This is climatically important, as cloudiness changes dominate changes in the top-of-atmosphere radiation budget.
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Belova, Evgenia, Peter Voelger, Sheila Kirkwood, et al. "Validation of wind measurements of two mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere radars in northern Sweden and in Antarctica." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 14, no. 4 (2021): 2813–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-2813-2021.
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Abstract. Two atmospheric VHF radars: ESRAD (Esrange MST radar) located near Kiruna in the Swedish Arctic and MARA (Moveable Atmospheric Radar for Antarctica) at the Indian research station Maitri in Antarctica perform wind measurements in the troposphere and lower stratosphere on a regular basis. We compared horizontal winds at altitudes between about 0.5 and 14 km derived from the radar data using the full correlation analysis (FCA) technique with radiosonde observations and models. The comparison with 28 radiosondes launched from January 2017 to August 2019 showed that ESRAD underestimates the zonal and meridional winds by about 8 % and 25 %, respectively. This is likely caused by the receiver group arrangement used for the FCA together with a high level of non-white noise. A similar result was found when comparing with the regional numerical weather prediction model HARMONIE-AROME (Bengtsson et al., 2017) for the period September 2018–May 2019. The MARA winds were compared with winds from radiosondes for the period February–October 2014 (291 occasions). In contrast to ESRAD, there is no indication that MARA underestimates the winds compared to the sondes. The mean difference between the radar and radiosonde winds is close to zero for both zonal and meridional components. The comparison of MARA with the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis for January–December 2019 reveals good agreement with the mean difference between 0.1 and −0.5 m/s depending on the component and season. The random errors in the wind components (standard deviations over all estimates in 1 h averages) are typically 2–3 m/s for both radars. Standard deviation of the differences between radars and sondes are 3–5 m/s.
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Hosking, J. S., M. R. Russo, P. Braesicke, and J. A. Pyle. "Tropical convective transport and the Walker circulation." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 12, no. 20 (2012): 9791–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-12-9791-2012.
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Abstract. We introduce a methodology to visualise rapid vertical and zonal tropical transport pathways. Using prescribed sea-surface temperatures in four monthly model integrations for 2005, we characterise preferred transport routes from the troposphere to the stratosphere in a high resolution climate model. Most efficient transport is modelled over the Maritime Continent (MC) in November and February, i.e., boreal winter. In these months, the ascending branch of the Walker Circulation over the MC is formed in conjunction with strong deep convection, allowing fast transport into the stratosphere. In the model the upper tropospheric zonal winds associated with the Walker Circulation are also greatest in these months in agreement with ERA-Interim reanalysis data. We conclude that the Walker circulation plays an important role in the seasonality of fast tropical transport from the lower and middle troposphere to the upper troposphere and so impacts at the same time the potential supply of surface emissions to the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) and subsequently to the stratosphere.
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Sun, Lantao, Walter A. Robinson, and Gang Chen. "The Predictability of Stratospheric Warming Events: More from the Troposphere or the Stratosphere?" Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 69, no. 2 (2012): 768–83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jas-d-11-0144.1.
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Abstract The roles of the stratosphere and the troposphere in determining the predictability of stratospheric final warming and sudden warming events are evaluated in an idealized atmospheric model. For each stratospheric warming event simulated in the model, a number of forecast experiments are performed from 10 or 20 days prior to the warming onset with perturbations in the troposphere and in the stratosphere separately. It is found that the stratosphere affects predictions of warming onset primarily by providing the initial state of the zonal winds, while the tropospheric initial conditions have a large impact through the generation and propagation of planetary waves. These results correspond to the roles played by the initial zonal flow and the evolution of eddy forcings in a zonally symmetric model. The initial stratospheric zonal flow has some influence on stratospheric wave driving, but in most cases this does not significantly affect the timing of the warming, except when the initial condition is close to the onset date. These results highlight the role of the troposphere in determining stratospheric planetary wave driving and support the importance of tropospheric precursors to the stratospheric warming events.
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Baars, Holger, Alina Herzog, Birgit Heese, et al. "Validation of Aeolus wind products above the Atlantic Ocean." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 13, no. 11 (2020): 6007–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-6007-2020.
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Abstract. In August 2018, the first Doppler wind lidar in space called Atmospheric Laser Doppler Instrument (ALADIN) was launched on board the satellite Aeolus by the European Space Agency (ESA). Aeolus measures profiles of one horizontal wind component (i.e., mainly the west–east direction) in the troposphere and lower stratosphere on a global basis. Furthermore, profiles of aerosol and cloud properties can be retrieved via the high spectral resolution lidar (HSRL) technique. The Aeolus mission is supposed to improve the quality of weather forecasts and the understanding of atmospheric processes. We used the opportunity to perform a unique validation of the wind products of Aeolus by utilizing the RV Polarstern cruise PS116 from Bremerhaven to Cape Town in November/December 2018. Due to concerted course modifications, six direct intersections with the Aeolus ground track could be achieved in the Atlantic Ocean west of the African continent. For the validation of the Aeolus wind products, we launched additional radiosondes and used the EARLINET/ACTRIS lidar PollyXT for atmospheric scene analysis. The six analyzed cases prove that Aeolus is able to measure horizontal wind speeds in the nearly west–east direction. Good agreements with the radiosonde observations could be achieved for both Aeolus wind products – the winds observed in clean atmospheric regions called Rayleigh winds and the winds obtained in cloud layers called Mie winds (according to the responsible scattering regime). Systematic and statistical errors of the Rayleigh winds were less than 1.5 and 3.3 m s−1, respectively, when compared to radiosonde values averaged to the vertical resolution of Aeolus. For the Mie winds, a systematic and random error of about 1 m s−1 was obtained from the six comparisons in different climate zones. However, it is also shown that the coarse vertical resolution of 2 km in the upper troposphere, which was set in this early mission phase 2 months after launch, led to an underestimation of the maximum wind speed in the jet stream regions. In summary, promising first results of the first wind lidar space mission are shown and prove the concept of Aeolus for global wind observations.
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Hoskins, B. J., and K. I. Hodges. "The Annual Cycle of Northern Hemisphere Storm Tracks. Part I: Seasons." Journal of Climate 32, no. 6 (2019): 1743–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jcli-d-17-0870.1.
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Abstract In this paper and Part II a comprehensive picture of the annual cycle of the Northern Hemisphere storm tracks is presented and discussed for the first time. It is based on both feature tracking and Eulerian-based diagnostics, applied to vorticity and meridional wind in the upper and lower troposphere. Here, the storm tracks, as diagnosed using both variables and both diagnostic techniques, are presented for the four seasons for each of the two levels. The oceanic storm tracks retain much of their winter mean intensity in spring with only a small change in their latitude. In the summer they are much weaker, particularly in the Pacific and are generally farther poleward. In autumn the intensities are larger again, comparable with those in spring, but the latitude is still nearer to that of summer. However, in the lower troposphere in the eastern ocean basins the tracking metrics show northern and southern tracks that change little with latitude through the year. The Pacific midwinter minimum is seen in upper-troposphere standard deviation diagnostics, but a richer picture is obtained using tracking. In winter there are high intensities over a wide range of latitudes in the central and eastern Pacific, and the western Pacific has high track density but weak intensity. In the lower troposphere all the diagnostics show that the strength of the Pacific and Atlantic storm tracks are generally quite uniform over the autumn–winter–spring period. There is a close relationship between the upper-tropospheric storm track, particularly that based on vorticity, and tropopause-level winds and temperature gradients. In the lower troposphere, in winter the oceanic storm tracks are in the region of the strong meridional SST gradients, but in summer they are located in regions of small or even reversed SST gradients. However, over North America the lower-tropospheric baroclinicity and the upstream portion of the Atlantic storm track stay together throughout the year.
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Plougonven, Riwal, Valérian Jewtoukoff, Alvaro de la Cámara, François Lott, and Albert Hertzog. "On the Relation between Gravity Waves and Wind Speed in the Lower Stratosphere over the Southern Ocean." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 74, no. 4 (2017): 1075–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jas-d-16-0096.1.
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Abstract The relationship between gravity wave momentum fluxes and local wind speed is investigated for oceanic regions at high southern latitudes during austral spring. The motivation is to better describe the gravity wave field by identifying a simple relationship between gravity waves and the large-scale flow. The tools used to describe the gravity waves are probability density functions of the gravity wave momentum fluxes. Three independent datasets covering high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere springtime are analyzed: simulations with a mesoscale model, analyses from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and observations from superpressure balloons of the Concordiasi campaign in 2010. A remarkably robust relation is found, with stronger momentum fluxes much more likely in regions of strong winds. The tails of the probability density functions are well described as lognormal. The median momentum flux increases linearly with background wind speed: for winds stronger than 50 m s−1, the median gravity wave momentum fluxes are about 4 times larger than for winds weaker than 10 m s−1. From model output, this relation is found to be relevant from the tropopause to the midstratosphere at least. The flux dependence on wind speed shows a somewhat steeper slope at higher altitude. Several different processes contribute to this relation, involving both the distribution of sources and the effects of propagation and filtering. It is argued that the location of tropospheric sources is the main contributor in the upper troposphere and lowermost stratosphere and that lateral propagation into regions of strong winds becomes increasingly important above.
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Sun, Lantao, Walter A. Robinson, and Gang Chen. "The Role of Planetary Waves in the Downward Influence of Stratospheric Final Warming Events." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 68, no. 12 (2011): 2826–43. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jas-d-11-014.1.
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Abstract Stratospheric final warming events are simulated in an idealized atmospheric model by imposing a winter-to-summer transition in radiative equilibrium temperature only in the stratosphere. Large ensembles of events are simulated with different strengths of topographic forcing. It is found that the dates of final warmings become earlier and their downward influence on the troposphere becomes stronger for greater topographic amplitudes. This result is similar to observed differences between the downward influence of the final warming in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The mechanisms through which the final warming exerts its influence on the tropospheric circulation are investigated using a zonally symmetric model. It is found that lower-stratospheric wave driving induces a residual circulation that affects the tropospheric circulation. The stratosphere also affects the propagation of planetary waves in the upper troposphere, resulting in a burst of wave activity and a rapid deceleration of tropospheric zonal winds at the time of the final warming. These results highlight the important roles of planetary waves in the downward influence of the stratospheric final warming events.
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Abatzoglou, John T., Renaud Barbero, and Nicholas J. Nauslar. "Diagnosing Santa Ana Winds in Southern California with Synoptic-Scale Analysis." Weather and Forecasting 28, no. 3 (2013): 704–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/waf-d-13-00002.1.
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Abstract Santa Ana winds (SAW) are among the most notorious fire-weather conditions in the United States and are implicated in wildfire and wind hazards in Southern California. This study employs large-scale reanalysis data to diagnose SAW through synoptic-scale dynamic and thermodynamic factors using mean sea level pressure gradient and lower-tropospheric temperature advection, respectively. A two-parameter threshold model of these factors exhibits skill in identifying surface-based characteristics of SAW featuring strong offshore winds and extreme fire weather as viewed through the Fosberg fire weather index across Remote Automated Weather Stations in southwestern California. These results suggest that a strong northeastward gradient in mean sea level pressure aligned with strong cold-air advection in the lower troposphere provide a simple, yet effective, means of diagnosing SAW from synoptic-scale reanalysis. This objective method may be useful for medium- to extended-range forecasting when mesoscale model output may not be available, as well as being readily applied retrospectively to better understand connections between SAW and wildfires in Southern California.
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Williams, Christopher R., and Susan K. Avery. "Diurnal winds observed in the tropical troposphere using 50 MHz wind profilers." Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres 101, no. D10 (1996): 15051–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/96jd01013.
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Wu, Bingyi, and Jennifer A. Francis. "Summer Arctic Cold Anomaly Dynamically Linked to East Asian Heat Waves." Journal of Climate 32, no. 4 (2019): 1137–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jcli-d-18-0370.1.
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During recent years, the rapidly warming Arctic and its impact on winter weather and climate variability in the mid- and low latitudes have been the focus of many research efforts. In contrast, anomalous cool Arctic summers and their impacts on the large-scale circulation have received little attention. In this study, we use atmospheric reanalysis data to reveal a dominant pattern of summer 1000–500-hPa thickness variability north of 30°N and its association with East Asian heat waves. It is found that the second thickness pattern exhibits strong interannual variability but does not exhibit any trend. Spatially, the positive phase of the second thickness pattern corresponds with significant Arctic cold anomalies in the mid- and low troposphere, which are surrounded by warm anomalies outside the Arctic. This pattern is the thermodynamic expression of the leading pattern of upper-tropospheric westerly variability and significantly correlated with the frequency of East Asian heat waves. The Arctic has experienced frequent summer cold anomalies since 2005, accompanied by strengthened tropospheric westerly winds over most of the Arctic and weakened westerlies over the mid- and low latitudes of Asia. The former significantly enhances baroclinicity over the Arctic, which dynamically contributes to increased frequency of anomalous low surface pressure during summer along with decreased frequency over high latitudes of Eurasia and North America. The latter is exhibited by sustained high pressure anomalies in the mid- and low troposphere that dynamically facilitate the occurrence of East Asian heat waves. A systematic northward shift of Asian zonal winds dynamically links Arctic cold anomalies with East Asian heat waves and produces a seesaw structure in zonal wind anomalies over the Arctic and the Tibetan Plateau (the third pole). Evidence suggests that enhanced Arctic westerlies may provide a precursor to improve predictions of the East Asian winter monsoon, though the mechanism for this lag association is unclear.
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Zhang, Ning, Xinan Yue, Feng Ding, et al. "Initial Tropospheric Wind Observations by Sanya Incoherent Scatter Radar." Remote Sensing 14, no. 13 (2022): 3138. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rs14133138.
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Sanya incoherent scatter radar (SYISR) is a newly developed phased array incoherent scatter radar in the low latitudes of China located at Sanya (18.3°N, 109.6°E), Hainan Province. The main objective of SYISR is to observe the ionosphere. Given its frequency and power, it should have the capability to observe the troposphere. In this study, we show several tropospheric wind experiments that may indicate radar function expansion and capability verification, although observing the troposphere will not be an operation mode in the future. Reliable radar echoes were detected by SYISR up to 20 km with a turbulence scale of 0.35 m and a frequency of 430 MHz. Generally, both the geometric (GEO) method and the velocity azimuth display (VAD) method give similar wind profiles. Above 10 km, the discrepancy between the two methods becomes nonnegligible. For the same method, the discrepancy above 15–20 km among winds derived from different zenith angle measurements is nonnegligible. The VAD methods give more reasonable results at higher altitudes. The standard deviation of the difference (SYISR radar minus the reanalysis data ERA5) for zonal wind and meridional wind was 1.1 m/s and 0.78 m/s, respectively. During rainfall, we can distinguish the spectrum of rainfall and atmospheric turbulence from the power spectrum according to the spectral widths and Doppler frequency shifts.
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Painemal, D., and P. Zuidema. "Synoptically-induced variability in the microphysical properties of the South East Pacific stratocumulus deck." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions 9, no. 6 (2009): 25523–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acpd-9-25523-2009.
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Abstract. Synoptic variations associated with changes in satellite-derived cloud droplet number concentrations (Nd) for the southeast Pacific stratocumulus deck were examined using a composite analysis applied to daily values from the five October months of 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. MAX and MIN Nd composites were defined by the top and bottom terciles of daily area-mean Nd values over the Arica Bight, the region with the largest mean oceanic Nd. Nd and ship-based accumulation mode aerosol concentrations (Na) correlate well (r=0.65), with a best-fit aerosol activation value dln Nddln Na of 0.53 for pixels with Nd>50 cm−3. The adiabatically-derived MODIS cloud depths also correlate well with the ship-based cloud depths (r=0.7), though are consistently higher (mean bias of almost 60 m). The MAX-Nd composite is characterized by a weaker subtropical anticyclone and weaker winds both at the surface and the lower free troposphere than the MIN-Nd composite. The MAX-Nd composite clouds over the Arica Bight are thinner than the MIN-Nd composite clouds, have lower cloud tops, and occur within warmer, drier free tropospheres (as deduced from radiosondes) that imply greater coastal subsidence. The cloud thinning compensates radiatively for increased reflectance from increases in Nd, most apparent near the coast. CloudSat radar reflectivities do not imply significant aerosol scavenging by precipitation near the coast, indicating that variability in wind transport contributes to the aerosol variability. The co-occurrence of more boundary-layer aerosol/higher Nd within a more stable atmosphere suggests a boundary layer source for the aerosol, rather than the free troposphere. Along 85° W, the top-of-atmosphere shortwave fluxes are significantly higher (~50%) for the MAX-Nd composite than for the MIN-Nd composite, with thicker clouds and higher cloud fractions. The change in Nd at this location is small (though positive), so that the composite difference primarily reflects synoptic changes. A one-point spatial correlation map reveals anomalous northerly winds at 850 hPa account for an anomalous warm temperature advection. The increase in the static stability along 85° W is highly correlated to the increased cloud fraction, despite accompanying weaker free tropospheric subsidence. This synoptic impact on offshore cloud properties is arguably our most radiatively important finding, and draws attention to the free tropospheric meridional flow as a meteorological control.
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Thomas, L., R. M. Worthington, and A. J. McDonald. "Inertia-gravity waves in the troposphere and lower stratosphere associated with a jet stream exit region." Annales Geophysicae 17, no. 1 (1999): 115–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00585-999-0115-4.
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Abstract. Radar measurements at Aberystwyth (52.4° N, 4.1° W) of winds at tropospheric and lower stratospheric heights are shown for 12-13 March 1994 in a region of highly curved flow, downstream of the jet maximum. The perturbations of horizontal velocity have comparable amplitudes in the troposphere and lower stratosphere with downward and upward phase propagation, respectively, in these two height regions. The sense of rotation with increasing height in hodographs of horizontal perturbation velocity derived for hourly intervals show downwards propagation of energy in the troposphere and upward propagation in the lower stratosphere with vertical wavelengths of 1.7 to 2.3 km. The results indicate inertia-gravity waves propagating in a direction similar to that of the jet stream but at smaller velocities. Some of the features observed contrast with those of previous observations of inertia-gravity waves propagating transverse to the jet stream. The interpretation of the hodographs to derive wave parameters has taken account of the vertical shear of the background wind transverse to the direction of wave propagation.Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (mesoscale meteorology; middle atmosphere dynamics; waves and tides)
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Karmakar, Samarendra, and Mohan Kumar Das. "On the Simulation of Lightning and Flash Flood Producing Thunderstorms in the Northeastern Bangladesh." Journal of Engineering Science 11, no. 1 (2020): 133–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jes.v11i1.49556.
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This study is an attempt to simulate the tropospheric conditions associated with lightning and thunderstorms, which occurred during 28-30 March 2017 over northeastern Bangladesh using WRF model. At Sylhet, rainfall amounts of 119 mm and 134 mm are found to occur on 29 March and 31 March 2017 respectively. The continuous very heavy rainfall has been responsible for the devastating flash flood in Sunamganj and adjoining areas in 2017. The study shows that forecasting of lightning and flash flood producing thunderstorms is possible by analyzing different meteorological parameters simulated by WRF Model. The simulated parameters are rainfall, sea level pressure, geopotential height (m), Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE), winds at various tropospheric levels, cloud water mixing ratio and ice water mixing ratio, vorticity and x, y, z wind components. A low pressure area and strong circulations are found to develop over West Bengal and adjoining Bangladesh with extended troughs towards northeast, having strong flows of southwesterly to southsoutheasterly winds distinctly visible at low level over the Bay of Bengal and Bangladesh. Interaction of northwesterly flows of winds at 500 hPa level and southerly flow coming from the Bay of Bengal is found to produce sufficient instability in the troposphere to develop severe thunderstorms which when moved over northeast Bangladesh/Meghalaya have become stronger due to orographic influence, thereby become lightning and flash flood producing thunderstorms. The thunderstorms become more marked due to the presence of westerly jet stream of 40 ms-1 over Bangladesh and India. The persisting characteristics of the circulation over West Bengal and Bangladesh, the micro-circulation, the intense geopotential low at 850 hPa and their eastward extension have been responsible for continuous heavy to very heavy rainfall over Sylhet and Meghalayan region, causing wide-spread intense flash floods over there. On 29 March 2017, cloud water mixing ratio is found to range from 160 to 1100 mgm-3 and ice water mixing ratio from 27 to 100 mgm-3 at different locations. The maximum cloud water mixing ratio values are 1100 and 1000 mgm-3 at Cherrapunji and Sylhet respectively, where torrential rain has occurred. The high values of cloud water mixing ratio and ice water mixing ratio in the upper troposphere over northeastern Bangladesh and adjoining areas indicates significant convection in the troposphere and have been responsible for moderate to severe lightning. The distribution of CAPE has also shown increasing higher values, indicating moderate to severe lightning.
 Journal of Engineering Science 11(1), 2020, 133-146
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Mass, Clifford F., Michael D. Warner, and Rick Steed. "Strong Westerly Wind Events in the Strait of Juan de Fuca." Weather and Forecasting 29, no. 2 (2014): 445–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/waf-d-13-00026.1.
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Abstract Strong westerly wind events occur regularly within and downstream of the Strait of Juan de Fuca of Washington State. During such strong gap wind periods, flow can accelerate to 30–50 kt (1 kt = 0.51 m s−1), with gusts sometimes reaching 80 kt or more. Strong winds in the strait and downstream of its eastern exit have caused substantial damage and loss of life. Strait of Juan de Fuca westerly wind events are often associated with sharp short-wave troughs coming out of the northwest, strong lower-tropospheric northwesterly geostrophic flow roughly paralleling the axis of the strait, and a large along-strait pressure gradient near the surface. Strong westerly flow in the strait also accompanies the passage of intense low pressure centers across northwest Washington State and southern British Columbia. The climatology of westerly wind events in the strait is presented, as well as their composite synoptic evolution. Using both mesoscale observations and high-resolution numerical simulations, it is shown that modern modeling systems can realistically simulate the mesoscale evolution of strait wind events. It is shown that strait gap wind events are associated with downward mixing of strong gap-parallel geostrophic winds in the lower troposphere and acceleration down a low-level pressure gradient produced by the passage of a synoptic trough and terrain-induced pressure perturbations.
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Li, Qiang, Markus Rapp, Gunter Stober, and Ralph Latteck. "High-resolution vertical velocities and their power spectrum observed with the MAARSY radar – Part 1: frequency spectrum." Annales Geophysicae 36, no. 2 (2018): 577–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-577-2018.
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Abstract. The Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) installed at the island of Andøya has been run for continuous probing of atmospheric winds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) region. In the current study, we present high-resolution wind measurements during the period between 2010 and 2013 with MAARSY. The spectral analysis applying the Lomb–Scargle periodogram method has been carried out to determine the frequency spectra of vertical wind velocity. From a total of 522 days of observations, the statistics of the spectral slope have been derived and show a dependence on the background wind conditions. It is a general feature that the observed spectra of vertical velocity during active periods (with wind velocity > 10 m s−1) are much steeper than during quiet periods (with wind velocity < 10 m s−1). The distribution of spectral slopes is roughly symmetric with a maximum at −5/3 during active periods, whereas a very asymmetric distribution with a maximum at around −1 is observed during quiet periods. The slope profiles along altitudes reveal a significant height dependence for both conditions, i.e., the spectra become shallower with increasing altitudes in the upper troposphere and maintain roughly a constant slope in the lower stratosphere. With both wind conditions considered together the general spectra are obtained and their slopes are compared with the background horizontal winds. The comparisons show that the observed spectra become steeper with increasing wind velocities under quiet conditions, approach a spectral slope of −5/3 at a wind velocity of 10 m s−1 and then roughly maintain this slope (−5/3) for even stronger winds. Our findings show an overall agreement with previous studies; furthermore, they provide a more complete climatology of frequency spectra of vertical wind velocities under different wind conditions. Keywords. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (turbulence; waves and tides)
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Jenkins, G. S., and J. H. Ryu. "Space-borne observations link the tropical atlantic ozone maximum and paradox to lightning." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 4, no. 2 (2004): 361–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-4-361-2004.
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Abstract. The potential enhancement of tropospheric column ozone values over the Tropical Atlantic Ocean on a seasonal basis by lightning is investigated using satellite derived ozone data, TRMM lightning data, ozonesonde data and NCEP reanalysis during 1998-2001. Our results show that the number of lightning flashes in Africa and South America reach a maximum during September, October and November (SON). The spatial patterns of winds in combination with lightning from West Africa, Central Africa and South America is likely responsible for enriching middle/upper troposphere ozone over the Tropical South Atlantic during SON. Moreover, lightning flashes are high in the hemisphere opposite to biomass burning during December, January, and February (DJF) and June, July and August (JJA). This pattern leads to an enrichment of ozone in the middle/upper troposphere in the Southern Hemisphere Tropics during DJF and the Northern Hemisphere Tropics during JJA. During JJA the largest numbers of lightning flashes are observed in West Africa, enriching tropospheric column ozone to the north of 5S in the absence of biomass burning. During DJF, lightning is concentrated in South America and Central Africa enriching tropospheric column ozone south of the Equator in the absence of biomass burning.
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Rao, V. V. M. Jagannadha, A. Narendra Babu, S. Vijaya Bhaskara Rao, and D. Narayana Rao. "Anomalous Wind Circulation Observed during 1997/98 El Niño Using Indian MST Radar." Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology 46, no. 1 (2007): 112–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/jam2443.1.
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Abstract Unique facility of measuring vertical winds using Indian mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere (MST) radar along with horizontal winds enables the study of the atmospheric circulation over Gadanki, India. Several important features are noted while analyzing the wind field. A tropical easterly jet stream of 35 m s−1 strength is seen around 16 km during monsoon season. Relatively strong jetlike northward motion (southerlies) of 5–7 m s−1 is seen around 14 km during winter months. These two maxima in zonal and meridional wind patterns, even though they differ in strength greatly, occur in two contrasting seasons. Downward motion combined with upper-level northward and lower-level southward motion observed during winter in normal years indicates the signature of tropical Hadley circulation over the study region. During the 1997/98 El Niño event, however, an anomalous pattern of winds is seen and Hadley circulation is observed to be weakened.
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Liu, Hui, Kevin Garrett, Kayo Ide, Ross N. Hoffman, and Katherine E. Lukens. "A statistically optimal analysis of systematic differences between Aeolus horizontal line-of-sight winds and NOAA's Global Forecast System." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 15, no. 13 (2022): 3925–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-3925-2022.
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Abstract. The European Space Agency Aeolus mission launched a first-of-its-kind spaceborne Doppler wind lidar in August 2018. To optimize the assimilation of the Aeolus Level-2B (B10) horizontal line-of-sight (HLOS) winds, significant systematic differences between the observations and numerical weather prediction (NWP) background winds should be removed. Total least squares (TLS) regression is used to estimate speed-dependent systematic differences between the Aeolus HLOS winds and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Finite-Volume Cubed-Sphere Global Forecast System (FV3GFS) 6 h forecast winds. Unlike ordinary least squares regression, TLS regression optimally accounts for random errors in both predictors and predictands. Large, well-defined, speed-dependent systematic differences are found in the lower stratosphere and troposphere in the tropics and Southern Hemisphere. Correction of these systematic differences improves the forecast impact of Aeolus data assimilated into the NOAA global NWP system.
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Zhang, Shao Dong, Chun Ming Huang, Kai Ming Huang, Ye Hui Zhang, Yun Gong, and Quan Gan. "Vertical wavenumber spectra of three-dimensional winds revealed by radiosonde observations at midlatitude." Annales Geophysicae 35, no. 1 (2017): 107–16. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-107-2017.
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Abstract. By applying 12-year (1998–2009) radiosonde data over a midlatitude station, we studied the vertical wavenumber spectra of three-dimensional wind fluctuations. The horizontal wind spectra in the lower stratosphere coincide well with the well-known universal spectra, with mean spectral slopes of −2.91 ± 0.09 and −2.99 ± 0.09 for the zonal and meridional wind spectra, respectively, while the mean slopes in the troposphere are −2.64 ± 0.07 and −2.70 ± 0.06, respectively, which are systematically less negative than the canonical slope of −3. In both the troposphere and lower stratosphere, the spectral amplitudes (slopes) of the horizontal wind spectra are larger (less negative) in winter, and they are larger (less negative) in the troposphere than in the lower stratosphere. Moreover, we present the first statistical results of vertical wind fluctuation spectra, which revealed a very shallow spectral structure, with mean slopes of −0.58 ± 0.06 and −0.23 ± 0.05 in the troposphere and lower stratosphere, respectively. Such a shallow vertical wind fluctuation spectrum is considerably robust. Different from the horizontal wind spectrum, the slopes of the vertical wind spectra in both the troposphere and lower stratosphere are less negative in summer. The height variation of vertical wind spectrum amplitude is also different from that of the horizontal wind spectrum, with a larger amplitude in the lower stratosphere. These evident differences between the horizontal and vertical wind spectra strongly suggest they should obey different spectral laws. Quantitative comparisons with various theoretical models show that no existing spectral theories can comprehensively explain the observed three-dimensional wind spectra, indicating that the spectral features of atmospheric fluctuations are far from fully understood.
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Dutta, G., B. Bapiraju, P. Balasubrahmanyam, and H. Aleem Basha. "VHF radar observations of gravity waves at a low latitude." Annales Geophysicae 17, no. 8 (1999): 1012–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00585-999-1012-6.
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Abstract. Wind observations made at Gadanki (13.5°N) by using Indian MST Radar for few days in September, October, December 1995 and January, 1996 have been analyzed to study gravity wave activity in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. Horizontal wind variances have been computed for gravity waves of period (2-6) h from the power spectral density (PSD) spectrum. Exponential curves of the form eZ/H have been fitted by least squares technique to these variance values to obtain height variations of the irregular winds upto the height of about 15 km, where Z is the height in kilometers. The value of H, the scale height, as determined from curve fitting is found to be less than the theoretical value of scale height of neutral atmosphere in this region, implying that the waves are gaining energy during their passage in the troposphere. In other words, it indicates that the sources of gravity waves are present in the troposphere. The energy densities of gravity wave fluctuations have been computed. Polynomial fits to the observed values show that wave energy density increases in the troposphere, its source region, and then decreases in the lower stratosphere.Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics; turbulence; waves and tides)
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Chen, Tsing-Chang, Ming-Cheng Yen, Gin-Rong Liu, and Shu-Yu Wang. "Summer Upper-Level Vortex over the North Pacific." Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 82, no. 9 (2001): 1991–2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/1520-0477-82.9.1991.
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The midocean trough in the North Pacific may form a favorable environment for the genesis of some synoptic disturbances. In contrast, the North Pacific anticyclone may hinder the downward penetration of these disturbances into the lower troposphere and prevent the moisture supply to these disturbances from the lower troposphere. Because no thick clouds, rainfall, and destructive surface winds are associated with these disturbances to attract attention, they have not been analyzed or documented. Actually, the upper-level wind speed within these disturbances is sometimes as strong as tropical cyclones and has the possibility of causing air traffic hazards in the western subtropic Pacific. With infrared images of the Japanese Geostationary Meteorological Satellite and the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis data, 25 North Pacific disturbances were identified over six summers (1993–98). Two aspects of these disturbances were explored: spatial structure and basic dynamics. For their structure, the disturbances possess a well-organized vortex in the middle to upper troposphere with a descending dry/cold core encircled by the moist ascending air around the vortex periphery; the secondary circulation of the vortex is opposite to other types of synoptic disturbances. Since vorticity reaches maximum values along the midocean trough line, barotrophic instability is suggested as a likely genesis mechanism of the vortex. After the vortex is formed, the horizontal advection of total vorticity results in its westward propagation, while the secondary circulation hinders this movement. Along its westward moving course, close to East Asia, there is a reduction in vortex size and a tangential speed increase inversely proportional to the vortex size. Diminishing its horizontal convergence/descending motion by the upper-tropospheric East Asian high and the lower-tropospheric monsoon low, the vortex eventually dissipates along the East Asian coast.
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Fudeyasu, Hironori, and Yuqing Wang. "Balanced Contribution to the Intensification of a Tropical Cyclone Simulated in TCM4: Outer-Core Spinup Process*." Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences 68, no. 3 (2011): 430–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/2010jas3523.1.
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Abstract The balanced contribution to the intensification of a tropical cyclone simulated in the three-dimensional, nonhydrostatic, full-physics tropical cyclone model version 4 (TCM4), in particular the spinup of the outer-core circulation, is investigated by solving the Sawyer–Eliassen equation and by computing terms in the azimuthal-mean tangential wind tendency equation. Results demonstrate that the azimuthal-mean secondary circulation (radial and vertical circulation) and the spinup of the midtropospheric outer-core circulation in the simulated tropical cyclone are well captured by balance dynamics. The midtropospheric inflow develops in response to diabatic heating in mid–upper-tropospheric stratiform (anvil) clouds outside the eyewall in active spiral rainbands and transports absolute angular momentum inward to spin up the outer-core circulation. Although the azimuthal-mean diabatic heating rate in the eyewall is the largest, its contribution to radial winds and thus the spinup of outer-core circulation in the middle troposphere is rather weak. This is because the high inertial stability in the inner-core region resists the radial inflow in the middle troposphere, limiting the inward transport of absolute angular momentum. The result thus suggests that diabatic heating in spiral rainbands is the key to the continued growth of the storm-scale circulation.
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Orr, Andrew, Hua Lu, Patrick Martineau, Edwin P. Gerber, Gareth J. Marshall, and Thomas J. Bracegirdle. "Is our dynamical understanding of the circulation changes associated with the Antarctic ozone hole sensitive to the choice of reanalysis dataset?" Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 21, no. 10 (2021): 7451–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7451-2021.
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Abstract. This study quantifies differences among four widely used atmospheric reanalysis datasets (ERA5, JRA-55, MERRA-2, and CFSR) in their representation of the dynamical changes induced by springtime polar stratospheric ozone depletion in the Southern Hemisphere from 1980 to 2001. The intercomparison is undertaken as part of the SPARC (Stratosphere–troposphere Processes and their Role in Climate) Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP). The reanalyses are generally in good agreement in their representation of the strengthening of the lower stratospheric polar vortex during the austral spring–summer season, associated with reduced radiative heating due to ozone loss, as well as the descent of anomalously strong westerly winds into the troposphere during summer and the subsequent poleward displacement and intensification of the polar front jet. Differences in the trends in zonal wind between the reanalyses are generally small compared to the mean trends. The exception is CFSR, which exhibits greater disagreement compared to the other three reanalysis datasets, with stronger westerly winds in the lower stratosphere in spring and a larger poleward displacement of the tropospheric westerly jet in summer. The dynamical changes associated with the ozone hole are examined by investigating the momentum budget and then the eddy heat and momentum fluxes in terms of planetary- and synoptic-scale Rossby wave contributions. The dynamical changes are consistently represented across the reanalyses and support our dynamical understanding of the response of the coupled stratosphere–troposphere system to the ozone hole. Although our results suggest a high degree of consistency across the four reanalysis datasets in the representation of these dynamical changes, there are larger differences in the wave forcing, residual circulation, and eddy propagation changes compared to the zonal wind trends. In particular, there is a noticeable disparity in these trends in CFSR compared to the other three reanalyses, while the best agreement is found between ERA5 and JRA-55. Greater uncertainty in the components of the momentum budget, as opposed to mean circulation, suggests that the zonal wind is better constrained by the assimilation of observations compared to the wave forcing, residual circulation, and eddy momentum and heat fluxes, which are more dependent on the model-based forecasts that can differ between reanalyses. Looking forward, however, these findings give us confidence that reanalysis datasets can be used to assess changes associated with the ongoing recovery of stratospheric ozone.
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Sauvage, B., V. Thouret, J. P. Cammas, F. Gheusi, G. Athier, and P. Nédélec. "Tropospheric ozone over Equatorial Africa: regional aspects from the MOZAIC data." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions 4, no. 3 (2004): 3285–332. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acpd-4-3285-2004.
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Abstract. We analyze MOZAIC ozone observations recorded over Equatorial Africa, from April 1997 to March 2003 to give the first ozone climatology of this region. The monthly mean vertical profiles have been systematically analyzed with monthly mean ECMWF data using a Lagrangian-model (LAGRANTO). We assess the roles played by the dynamical features of Equatorial Africa and the intense biomass burning sources within the region in defining the ozone distribution. The lower troposphere exhibits layers of enhanced ozone during the biomass burning season in each hemisphere (boreal winter in the northern tropics and boreal summer in the southern tropics). The monthly mean vertical profiles of ozone are clearly influenced by the local dynamical situation. Over the Gulf of Guinea during boreal winter, the ozone profile is characterized by systematically high ozone below 650 hPa. This is due to the high stability caused by the Harmattan winds in the lower troposphere and the blocking Saharan anticyclone in the middle troposphere that prevents any efficient vertical mixing. In contrast, Central African enhancements are not only found in the lower troposphere but throughout the troposphere. The boreal summer ozone maximum in the lower troposphere of Central Africa continues up to November in the middle troposphere due to the influx of air masses laden with biomass burning products from Brazil and Southern Africa. Despite its southern latitude, Central Africa during the boreal winter is also under the influence of the northern tropical fires. This phenomenon is known as the "ozone paradox". However, the tropospheric ozone columns calculated from the MOZAIC data give evidence that the Tropical Tropospheric Ozone Column (TTOC) maximum over Africa swings from West Africa in DJF to Central Africa in JJA. This contrasts with studies based on TOMS satellite data. A rough assessment of the regional ozone budget shows that the northern tropics fires in boreal winter might contribute up to 20% of the global photochemical ozone production. This study gives the first detailed picture of the ozone distribution over Equatorial Africa that should be used to validate both global models over this region and future satellite products.
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Qiao, Lei, Gang Chen, Shaodong Zhang, et al. "Wuhan MST radar: technical features and validation of wind observations." Atmospheric Measurement Techniques 13, no. 10 (2020): 5697–713. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-5697-2020.
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Abstract. The Wuhan mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere (MST) radar is a 53.8 MHz monostatic Doppler radar, located in Chongyang, Hubei Province, China, and has the capability to observe the dynamics of the mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere region in the subtropical latitudes. The radar system has an antenna array of 576 Yagi antennas, and the maximum peak power is 172 kW. The Wuhan MST radar is efficient and cost-effective and employs more simplified and more flexible architecture. It includes 24 big transmitter–receiver (TR) modules, and the row or column data port of each big TR module connects 24 small TR modules via the corresponding row or column feeding network. Each antenna is driven by a small TR module with peak output power of 300 W. The arrangement of the antenna field, the functions of the timing signals, the structure of the TR modules, and the clutter suppression procedure are described in detail in this paper. We compared the MST radar observation results with other instruments and related models in the whole MST region for validation. Firstly, we made a comparison of the horizontal winds in the troposphere and low stratosphere observed by the Wuhan MST radar with the radiosonde on 22 May 2016, as well as with the ERA-Interim data sets (2016 and 2017) in the long term. Then, we made a comparison of the observed horizontal winds in the mesosphere with the meteor radar and the Horizontal Wind Model 14 (HWM-14) model in the same way. In general, good agreements can be obtained, and this indicates that the Wuhan MST is an effective tool to measure the three-dimensional wind fields of the MST region.
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Muñoz, Ricardo C., Rosa A. Zamora, and José A. Rutllant. "The Coastal Boundary Layer at the Eastern Margin of the Southeast Pacific (23.4°S, 70.4°W): Cloudiness-Conditioned Climatology." Journal of Climate 24, no. 4 (2011): 1013–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/2010jcli3714.1.
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Abstract A basic climatological description of 29 years of surface and upper-air observations at a coastal site (23.4°S, 70.4°W) in northern Chile is presented. The site is considered to be generally representative of the eastern coastal margin of the southeast Pacific stratocumulus region, which plays an important role in the global radiative balance. The analysis focuses on two of the main elements affecting coastal weather in this region: low-level cloudiness and the state of the subsidence temperature inversion. The objectives of the paper are 1) to present the basic climatological features of these elements and 2) to document the differences in the structure of this coastal boundary layer (BL) associated with the presence or absence of low-level clouds. Low-level clouds (defined here as ceilings less than 1500 m AGL) occur at the site mostly in the night, especially during austral winter and spring. Elevated subsidence inversions show a very large prevalence in the 1200 UTC [0800 local time (LT)] radiosonde profiles analyzed here, with base heights typically between 800 and 1100 m. The seasonal cycle of the subsidence inversion shows an ∼300-m amplitude at inversion base and top and a substantial BL cooling in austral winter. Generally weak and shallow surface-based inversions at 1200 UTC (0800 LT) are present in about 15% of the soundings, with more frequent occurrence in austral fall. The second objective was accomplished by compositing surface meteorology and upper-air profiles conditioned by nighttime low-level cloudiness. More frequent surface inversions in temperature and dewpoint are found for mostly clear nights, as compared to mostly cloudy nighttime conditions. The clear-night BL shows a more stable temperature profile and larger vertical gradients in mixing ratio when compared to the approximately well-mixed cloud-topped BL. Above the BL, the clear composites show a weaker subsidence inversion and more intense northerly winds in the 1000–3000-m layer compared to the cloudy cases. Insights into the physical mechanisms underlying the findings above were sought by comparing the cloudy composites to results of a stationary mixed-layer model of a stratus-capped marine BL, by computing derived parameters pertaining to the temperature budget and the turbulent state of the lower troposphere and by using reanalysis fields to compute regional circulation anomalies associated to coastal low-level cloudiness. The results show physically significant differences in subsidence, horizontal temperature advection, and winds in the lower troposphere associated with the mean clear and cloudy coastal BL. Coastal clear nights appear associated with a cold anomaly in the lower troposphere over the southeast Pacific basin offshore of Peru and Chile, which by thermal wind arguments induce anomalies of southerly winds along the Chilean coast near the surface and northerly winds above the BL, while at the same time reducing the coastal subsidence in the lower troposphere. These results point to the importance of properly representing the sea–land temperature contrast and the topographic impact on the lower-tropospheric flow in order to adequately model the coastal BL mean state over this region.
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Karpechko, A., A. Lukyanov, E. Kyrö, et al. "The water vapour distribution in the Arctic lowermost stratosphere during the LAUTLOS campaign and related transport processes including stratosphere-troposphere exchange." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 7, no. 1 (2007): 107–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-7-107-2007.
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Abstract. Balloon-borne water vapour measurements during January and February 2004, which were obtained as part of the LAUTLOS campaign at Sodankylä, Finland, 67° N, were used to analyse the water vapour distribution in the wintertime Arctic lowermost stratosphere. A 2.5 km thick layer (or 30 K in the potential temperature scale) above the tropopause is characterized by a significant water vapour variability on a synoptic timescale with values between stratospheric and tropospheric, which is in good agreement with previously reported measurements. A cross-correlation analysis of ozone and water vapour confirms that this layer contains a mixture of stratospheric and tropospheric air masses. Some of the flights sampled laminae of enhanced water vapour above the tropopause. Meteorological analyses and backward trajectory calculations show that these features were related to filaments that had developed along the flanks of cut-off anticyclones, which had been active at this time over the Northern Atlantic. The role of the filaments was however not to transport water vapour from the troposphere to the stratosphere but rather to transport it within the stratosphere away from regions where intensive two-way stratosphere-troposphere exchange (STE) was identified. Intensive STE occurred around cut-off anticyclones in regions of strong winds, where calculations suggest the presence of clear-air turbulence (CAT). Evidences that CAT contributes to the troposphere-to-stratosphere transport (TST) are presented. However, statistically, relation between TST and CAT during the studied period is weak.
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Sun, Wei, Rucong Yu, Jian Li, and Weihua Yuan. "Three-Dimensional Circulation Structure of Summer Heavy Rainfall in Central North China." Weather and Forecasting 30, no. 1 (2015): 238–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/waf-d-14-00046.1.
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Abstract Based on daily rainfall observations and Japanese 25-year Reanalysis Project data during ~1981–2010, a three-dimensional circulation structure that formed before heavy summer rainfall in central north China (CNC) is revealed in this study. Composite analyses of circulation in advance of 225 heavy rain days show that the circulation structure is characterized by a remarkable upper-tropospheric warm anomaly (UTWA), which covers most of northern China with a center at ~300 hPa. Under hydrostatic and geostrophic equilibriums, the UTWA contributes to the generation of an anticyclonic (cyclonic) anomaly above (below). The anticyclonic anomaly strengthens (weakens) westerly winds to the north (south) of the warm center and pushes the high-level westerly jet to the north. The cyclonic anomaly deepens the trough upstream of CNC and intensifies lower southwesterly winds to the mideast of the warm center. As a result, the northerly stretched high-level jet produces upper divergence in its right-front side and the intensified southwesterly winds induce lower moisture convergence in its left-front side, causing heavy rainfall in CNC. Correlation analyses further confirm the close connections between UTWA and circulation in the upper and lower troposphere. The correlation coefficients between UTWA and the upper geopotential height, upper westerly jet, and lower southerly flow reach 0.95, 0.70, and 0.39, implying that the two critical factors leading to intense rainfall in CNC, the high-level jet and the low-level southerly flow, are closely connected with the UTWA. Consequently, in the future analyses and forecasts of heavy rainfall over northern China, more attention should be paid to the temperature in the upper troposphere.
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Stober, G., R. Latteck, M. Rapp, W. Singer, and M. Zecha. "MAARSY – the new MST radar on Andøya: first results of spaced antenna and Doppler measurements of atmospheric winds in the troposphere and mesosphere using a partial array." Advances in Radio Science 10 (September 19, 2012): 291–98. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/ars-10-291-2012.
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Abstract. MST radars have been used to study the troposphere, stratosphere and mesosphere over decades. These radars have proven to be a valuable tool to investigate atmospheric dynamics. MAARSY, the new MST radar at the island of Andøya uses a phased array antenna and is able to perform spaced antenna and Doppler measurements at the same time with high temporal and spatial resolution. Here we present first wind observations using the initial expansion stage during summer 2010. The tropospheric spaced antenna and Doppler beam swinging experiments are compared to radiosonde measurements, which were launched at the nearby Andøya Rocket Range (ARR). The mesospheric wind observations are evaluated versus common volume meteor radar wind measurements. The beam steering capabilities of MAARSY are demonstrated by performing systematic scans of polar mesospheric summer echoes (PMSE) using 25 and 91 beam directions. These wind observations permit to evaluate the new radar against independent measurements from radiosondes and meteor radar measurements to demonstrate its capabilities to provide reliable wind data from the troposphere up to the mesosphere.