Aspects of the large-scale tropical atmospheric circulation

Brian Hoskins; Richard Neale; Mark Rodwell; Gui-Ying Yang

doi:10.3402/tellusa.v51i1.12287

Aspects of the large-scale tropical atmospheric circulation

Tellus

Volume 51 (1999): Issue 1

By: Brian Hoskins, Richard Neale, Mark Rodwell and Gui-Ying Yang

Open Access

|Jan 1999

Abstract

An account is given of a number of recent studies with idealised models whose aim is to furtherunderstanding of the large-scale tropical atmospheric circulation. Initial-value integrations witha model with imposed heating are used to discuss aspects of the Asian summer monsoon,including constraints on cross-equatorial flow into the monsoon. The summer descent in theMediterranean region and on the eastern sides of the summer subtropical anticyclones are seento be associated with the monsoons to their east. An aqua-planet GCM is used to investigatethe relationship between simple SST distributions and tropical convection and circulation. Theexistence of strong equatorial convection and Hadley cells is found to depend sensitively onthe curvature of the meridional profile in SST. Zonally confined SST maxima produce convectivemaxima centred to the west and suppression of convection elsewhere. Strong equatorial zonalflow changes are found in some experiments and three mechanisms for producing these areinvestigated in a model with imposed heating.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3402/tellusa.v51i1.12287 | Journal eISSN: 3035-9554

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Language: English

Page range: 33 - 44

Submitted on: Sep 28, 1998

Accepted on: Oct 21, 1998

Published on: Jan 1, 1999

Published by: Stockholm University Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

© 1999 Brian Hoskins, Richard Neale, Mark Rodwell, Gui-Ying Yang, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 51 (1999): Issue 1