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The dynamical behaviour of a two‐dimensional model of the stratosphere
Author(s) -
Harwood R. S.,
Pyle J. A.
Publication year - 1980
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.49710644903
Subject(s) - stratosphere , stratopause , diabatic , atmospheric sciences , radiative transfer , ozone , radiative equilibrium , environmental science , climatology , zonal and meridional , downwelling , physics , meteorology , mesosphere , geology , thermodynamics , adiabatic process , oceanography , quantum mechanics , upwelling
For the atmosphere below approximately 60 km the dynamical behaviour of the zonal mean circulation model described by Harwood and Pyle (1975, 1977) is discussed in detail and compared with observations. The major features of the observed extra‐tropical circulation are reproduced by the model, although the principal jets are overestimated. Equatorial temperatures are representative but horizontal temperature gradients are too large, in keeping with the excess wind speed. The roles played in forcing the mean meridional circulation by the diabatic heating and the eddy fluxes of angular momentum and heat are considered. The temperature structure of the summer stratopause is discussed in detail; the model results indicate that this region is in radiative equilibrium to a good approximation. The model has been used to investigate stratospheric ozone and in this paper the sensitivity of the ozone distribution to a number of the model variables is discussed. Reasonable changes in the specified eddy diffusion coefficients and momentum fluxes can alter the total ozone column by around 10%. For small changes (∼ a few tenths K d −1 ) in the radiative heating of the lower stratosphere even larger changes in the ozone amount are found in the model. The net radiative heating in the lower stratosphere is difficult to calculate. The implication of these sensitivity experiments for pollution perturbation calculations is stressed. Unless all feedback processes are included calculations of pollution‐induced changes in ozone of around 10% must be regarded with caution.