Summary
The vertical structure of the global atmosphere is analyzed for selected periods of the Special Observing Period I (SOP-I) for the Global Weather Experiment (GWE). The analysis consists of projection of the streamfunction and velocity potential at 200 and 850 mb on spherical harmonics and of the wind and height fields on the normal modes of a linearized form of the primitive equations for a basic state at rest. The kinematic vertical structure is discussed in terms of correlation coefficients of the 200 mb and 850 mb winds and analysis of the internal and external normal modes of the primitive equations. The reliability of the results is checked by applying the same analysis methods to data sets obtained from three different institutions: Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF), and Goddard Laboratory for the Atmospheres (GLA). It is found that, on a global basis, vertically reversing circulations are as important as the equivalent barotropic structures. For the vertically reversing components, the gravity and mixed Rossby-gravity modes have contributions of the same order of magnitude as those of the Rossby modes in tropical latitudes.
Zusammenfassung
Es wird die Vertikalstruktur der Atmosphäre für ausgesuchte Perioden der ersten intensiven Beobachtungsperiode (SOP-I) des “Global Weather Experiment” (GWE) analysiert. Die Analyse besteht in der Projektion der Stromfunktion und des Geschwindigkeitspotentials in 200 und 850 mb auf sphärische harmonische Funktionen und der Wind- und Geopotentialfelder auf die Normalmodi der linearisierten primitiven Gleichungen für einen Ausgangszustand in Ruhe. Die kinematische Vertikalstruktur wird mit Hilfe der Korrelationskoeffizienten des Windes in 200 und 850 mb und der Analyse der internen und externen Normalmodi der primitiven Gleichungen untersucht. Die Zuverlässigkeit der Ergebnisse wird durch Anwendung derselben Analysemethoden auf Datensätze von drei verschiedenen Institutionen überprüft: Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL), Europäisches Zentrum für Mittelfristvorhersagen (ECMWF) und Goddard Laboratory for the Atmosphere (GLA). Es stellt sich heraus, daß auf einer globalen Basis die sich mit der Höhe umkehrenden Zirkulationen genauso wichtig sind, wie die entsprechenden barotropen Strukturen. Zu den sich mit der Höhe umkehrenden Komponenten tragen Schwerkraft- und gemischte Rossby-Schwerkraft-Effekte in der gleichen Größenordnung bei, wie die Rossby-Effekte in den Tropen.
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Paegle, J.N., Zhen, Z. & Sampson, G. Vertical structure of the wind field during the special observing period I of the global weather experiment. Meteorl. Atmos. Phys. 35, 149–165 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01026171
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01026171