Impacts of Vertical Structure of Large-Scale Vertical Motion in Tropical Climate: Moist Static Energy Framework

Interactions between cumulus convection and its large-scale environment have been recognized as crucial to the understanding of tropical climate and its variability. In this study, the moist static energy (MSE) budget is employed to investigate the potential impact of the vertical structure of large...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the atmospheric sciences 2016-11, Vol.73 (11), p.4427-4437
Main Authors: Bui, Hien Xuan, Yu, Jia-Yuh, Chou, Chia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Advection
Atmospheric sciences
Budgets
Climate
Climatology
Clouds
Columnar structure
Computer simulation
Convection
Decomposition
Energy
Frameworks
Heat
Interactions
Mathematical models
Moisture
Motion effects
Precipitation
Profiles
Simulation
Static energy
Studies
Time series
Tropical climate
Tropical climates
Variability
Vertical motion
Vertical profiles
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Summary:Interactions between cumulus convection and its large-scale environment have been recognized as crucial to the understanding of tropical climate and its variability. In this study, the moist static energy (MSE) budget is employed to investigate the potential impact of the vertical structure of large-scale vertical motion in tropical climate based on results from both reanalysis data and model simulation. Two domains are selected over the western and eastern Pacific with vertical motion profiles that are dominated by top-heavy and bottom-heavy structures, respectively. The bottom-heavy structure is climatologically associated with more shallow convection, while the top-heavy structure is related to more deep convection. The column-integrated vertical MSE advection of top-heavy vertical motion is positive, while that of bottom-heavy vertical motion tends to be negative. Controlling factors responsible for the above vertical MSE advection contrast are discussed based on a simple decomposition of the MSE budget equation. It was found that the sign of vertical MSE advection is determined mainly by the vertical moisture transport, the magnitude of which is very sensitive to the structure of vertical motion. A top-heavy (bottom heavy) structure of vertical motion favors an export (import) of MSE and a positive (negative) value of the vertical MSE advection.
ISSN:0022-4928
1520-0469
DOI:10.1175/JAS-D-16-0031.1