Planetary Climate Dynamics

Abstract:

We have developed a parametrization of Jovian moist convection based on a heat engine model of moist convection. In comparison to other moist convection schemes, this framework allows the computation of the total available convective energy TCAPE and the corresponding mass flux M as dynamic variables from the mean atmospheric state. The effects of this parametrization have been investigated both analytically and numerically. In agreement with previous numerical experiments and observations, the inclusion of moist convection leads to heat and water vapor transport from the water condensation level into higher altitudes. The time development of the modeled convective events was found to be strongly influenced by a rapid reduction of kinetic energy and a subsequent lowering of the cumulus tower's top in response to convective heating. We have tested the sensitivity of the scheme to different variations in the fractional cloud coverage and under the inclusion of external radiative forcing towards a stable/unstable temperature profile. While the time development of convective events differs in response to these variations, the general moist convective heating and moistening of the upper troposphere was a robust feature observed in all experiments. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd.

Abstract:

The hypothesis of a low dimensional martian climate attractor is investigated by the application of the proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) to a simulation of martian atmospheric circulation using the UK Mars general circulation model (UK-MGCM). In this article we focus on a time series of the interval between autumn and winter in the northern hemisphere, when baroclinic activity is intense. The POD is a statistical technique that allows the attribution of total energy (TE) to particular structures embedded in the UK-MGCM time-evolving circulation. These structures are called empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs). Ordering the EOFs according to their associated energy content, we were able to determine the necessary number to account for a chosen amount of atmospheric TE. We show that for Mars a large fraction of TE is explained by just a few EOFs (with 90% TE in 23 EOFs), which apparently support the initial hypothesis. We also show that the resulting EOFs represent classical types of atmospheric motion, such as thermal tides and transient waves. Thus, POD is shown to be an efficient method for the identification of different classes of atmospheric modes. It also provides insight into the non-linear interaction of these modes. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Abstract:

We have investigated the formation of jet scale meridional circulation cells on Jupiter in response to radiative and zonal momentum forcing. In the framework of semi-geostrophic theory, the meridional streamfunction is described by an elliptic equation with a source term dependent on the sum of the latitudinal derivative of the radiative forcing and the vertical derivative of the zonal momentum forcing. Using this equation with analytic terms similar to the assumed forcing on Jupiter, we obtained two set of atmospheric circulations cells, a stratospheric and a tropospheric one. A possible shift in the overturning circulation of the high and deep atmosphere can be induced by breaking the latitudinal alignment of radiative heating with the enforced belt and zones. A series of numerical simulations was conducted with the Jovian GCM OPUS, which was initiated with observational data obtained from the Cassini CIRS temperature cross-section and a corresponding geostrophic zonal wind field. Newtonian forcing of potential temperature as well as zonal momentum was applied respectively towards latitudinally and vertically uniform equilibrium fields. In accordance with the analytic illustrations two rows of jet scale circulation cells were created. The stratospheric circulation showed the distribution of upwelling over zones and downwelling over belts, consistent with cloud observations. The tropospheric cells featured a partial reversal of the downward vertical velocity over the belts and a considerable reduction of the upward movement over the zones in the domain, consistent with recent detections of high water clouds and lightning in belts. We also used the modeled new forcing fields as source terms for the semi-geostrophic Poisson equation to attribute the origin of the modeled secondary circulation. In this analysis, the stratospheric circulation cells observed in the model are primarily generated in response to radiative forcing, while momentum forcing induces the shifted configurations in the deep atmosphere. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.