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dc.contributor.authorZhang, Yang
dc.contributor.authorStone, Peter H.
dc.contributor.authorSolomon, Amy
dc.date.accessioned2010-03-03T19:50:28Z
dc.date.available2010-03-03T19:50:28Z
dc.date.issued2006-06
dc.date.submitted2008-11
dc.identifier.issn0022-4928
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/52223
dc.description.abstractA β-plane multilevel quasigeostrophic channel model with interactive static stability and a simplified parameterization of atmospheric boundary layer physics is used to study the role of different boundary layer processes in eddy equilibration and their relative effect in maintaining the strong boundary layer potential vorticity (PV) gradient. The model results show that vertical thermal diffusion, along with the surface heat exchange, is primarily responsible for limiting PV homogenization by baroclinic eddies in the boundary layer. Under fixed SST boundary conditions, these two processes act as the source of the mean flow baroclinicity in the lower levels and result in stronger eddy heat fluxes. Reducing surface friction alone does not result in efficient elimination of the boundary layer PV gradient, but the equilibrium state temperature gradient is still largely influenced by surface friction and its response to changes in surface friction is not monotonic. In the regime of strong surface friction, with reduced poleward eddy heat flux, a strong temperature gradient is still retained. When the surface friction is sufficiently weak along with the stronger zonal wind, the critical level at the center of the jet drops below the surface. As a result, in the lower levels, the eddy heat flux forcing on the mean flow moves away from the center of the jet and the equilibrium state varies only slightly with the strength of the vertical momentum diffusion in the boundary layer.en
dc.description.sponsorshipGoddard Institute for Space Studiesen
dc.description.sponsorshipU.S. Department of Energy, Office of Scienceen
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherAmerican Meteorological Societyen
dc.relation.isversionofhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1175/2008jas2914.1en
dc.rightsArticle is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.en
dc.sourceAmerican Meteorological Societyen
dc.titleThe Role of Boundary Layer Processes in Limiting PV Homogenizationen
dc.typeArticleen
dc.identifier.citationZhang, Yang, Peter H Stone, and Amy Solomon. “The Role of Boundary Layer Processes in Limiting PV Homogenization.” Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences (2009): 1612-1632. © 2009 American Meteorological Societyen
dc.contributor.departmentMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciencesen_US
dc.contributor.approverStone, Peter H.
dc.contributor.mitauthorZhang, Yang
dc.contributor.mitauthorStone, Peter H.
dc.relation.journalJournal of the Atmospheric Sciencesen
dc.eprint.versionFinal published versionen
dc.type.urihttp://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticleen
eprint.statushttp://purl.org/eprint/status/PeerRevieweden
eprint.grantNumberNNG04GF12Aen
eprint.grantNumberDE-FG02-93ER61677en
dspace.orderedauthorsZhang, Yang; Stone, Peter H.; Solomon, Amyen
mit.licensePUBLISHER_POLICYen
mit.metadata.statusComplete


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