Identification

Title

Interhemispheric Coupling Mechanisms in the Middle Atmosphere of WACCM6

Abstract

Simulations with the Community Earth System Model, version 2, using the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model version 6 [CESM2(WACCM6)] configuration, show evidence of dynamical coupling from the high latitudes of the winter middle atmosphere to the tropics and the middle and high latitudes of the summer hemisphere. Analysis of monthly and daily output covering 195 simulation years indicates that the response in the summer middle and high latitudes has a weak overall magnitude of a few kelvins or less in temperature but has a repeatable pattern whose structure and phase agree with observational studies. Lag correlation indicates that perturbations in wave activity in the winter stratosphere, as quantified by Eliassen-Palm (EP) flux divergence, are accompanied by perturbations in the transformed Eulerian-mean meridional wind extending into the summer hemisphere. There is not an appreciable correlation with momentum forcing in the summer hemisphere by either resolved waves or parameterized gravity waves. The rapid circulation response and the lack of a wave response in the summer hemisphere suggest that the interhemispheric coupling that is simulated in WACCM6 in both the stratosphere and the mesosphere owes its existence to a circulation that develops to restore balance to the zonally averaged state of the atmosphere. This is an alternative explanation for the coupling from the winter stratosphere to the summer mesosphere; previous studies have assumed a necessary role for wave activity in the summer hemisphere.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7wm1hm2

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2020-03-01T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact