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Abstract The midlatitude poleward atmospheric energy transport increases in radiatively forced simulations of warmed climates across a range of models from comprehensive coupled general circulation models (GCMs) to idealized aquaplanet moist GCMs to diffusive moist energy balance models. These increases have been rationalized from two perspectives. The energetic (or radiative) perspective takes the atmospheric energy budget and decomposes energy flux changes (radiative forcing, feedbacks, or surface fluxes) to determine the energy transport changes required by the budget. The diffusive perspective takes the net effect of atmospheric macroturbulence to be a diffusive energy transport down-gradient, so transport changes can arise from changes in mean energy gradients or turbulent diffusivity. Here, we compare these perspectives in idealized moist, gray-radiation GCM simulations over a wide range of climates. The energetic perspective has a dominant role for radiative forcing in this GCM, with cancellation between the temperature feedback components that account for the GCM’s nonmonotonic energy transport changes in response to warming. Comprehensive CMIP5 simulations have similarities in the Northern Hemisphere to the idealized GCM, although a comprehensive GCM over several CO 2 doublings has a distinctly different feedback evolution structure. The diffusive perspective requires a non-constant diffusivity to account for the idealized GCM-simulated changes, with important roles for the eddy velocity, dry static stability, and horizontal energy gradients. Beyond diagnostic analysis, GCM-independent a priori theories for components of the temperature feedback are presented that account for changes without knowledge of a perturbed climate state, suggesting that the energetic perspective is the more parsimonious one.
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Atmospheric Moisture Decreases Midlatitude Eddy Kinetic Energy
Abstract There is compelling evidence that atmospheric moisture may either increase or decrease midlatitude eddy kinetic energy (EKE). We reconcile these findings by using a hierarchy of idealized atmospheric models to demonstrate that moisture energizes individual eddies given fixed large-scale background winds and temperatures but makes those background conditions less favorable for eddy growth. For climates similar to the present day, the latter effect wins out, and moisture weakens midlatitude eddy activity. The model hierarchy includes a moist two-layer quasigeostrophic (QG) model and an idealized moist general circulation model (GCM). In the QG model, EKE increases when moisture is added to simulations with fixed baroclinicity, closely following a previously derived scaling. But in both models, moisture decreases EKE when environmental conditions are allowed to vary. We explain these results by examining the models’ mean available potential energy (MAPE) and by calculating terms in the models’ Lorenz energy cycles. In the QG model, the EKE decreases because precipitation preferentially forms on the poleward side of the jet, releasing latent heat where the model is relatively cold and decreasing the MAPE, hence the EKE. In the moist GCM, the MAPE primarily decreases because the midlatitude stability increases as the model is moistened, with reduced meridional temperature gradients playing a secondary role. Together, these results clarify moisture’s role in driving the midlatitude circulation and also highlight several drawbacks of QG models for studying moist processes in midlatitudes. Significance StatementDry models of the atmosphere have played a central role in the study of large-scale atmospheric dynamics. But we know that moisture adds much complexity, associated with phase changes, its effect on atmospheric stability, and the release of latent heat during condensation. Here, we take an important step toward incorporating moisture into our understanding of midlatitude dynamics by reconciling two diverging lines of literature, which suggest that atmospheric moisture can either increase or decrease midlatitude eddy kinetic energy. We explain these opposing results by showing that moisture not only makes individual eddies more energetic but also makes the environment in which eddies form less favorable for eddy growth. For climates similar to the present day, the latter effect wins out such that moisture decreases atmospheric eddy kinetic energy. We demonstrate this point using several different idealized atmospheric models, which allow us to gradually add complexity and to smoothly vary between moist and dry climates. These results add fundamental understanding to how moisture affects midlatitude climates, including how its effects change in warmer and moisture climates, while also highlighting some drawbacks of the idealized atmospheric models.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2202991
- PAR ID:
- 10551162
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Meteorological Society
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
- Volume:
- 81
- Issue:
- 11
- ISSN:
- 0022-4928
- Format(s):
- Medium: X Size: p. 1817-1832
- Size(s):
- p. 1817-1832
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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