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Maintenance of kinetic energy in large‐scale tropical disturbances over the eastern Atlantic
Author(s) -
Kung E. C.,
Burgdorf H. A.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.49710444013
Subject(s) - kinetic energy , scale (ratio) , energetics , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , climatology , troposphere , length scale , meteorology , physics , geology , mechanics , classical mechanics , thermodynamics , quantum mechanics
With the GATE upper air data an A‐B scale area and a B scale area are defined over the eastern Atlantic for the energetics analysis of tropical disturbances in the space domain. Computed gross energy budgets at A‐B scale for large‐scale disturbances and at B scale for cloud cluster scale disturbances clearly indicate that these possess distinctly different energetics regimes in and above the mid troposphere. It is shown that the eddy available potential energy is added to its tropical reservoir at B scale. However, at A‐B scale the eddy available potential energy is released as the source of kinetic energy. The released energy in large‐scale disturbances appears as eddy kinetic energy in the upper layer above 200mb, and cascades to smaller scales. Examination of the residual term of the eddy kinetic energy equation with other terms also indicates that A‐B and B scale disturbances significantly interact with other scales.