Wednesday, 11 June 2003: 12:00 AM
A simple moist hadley cell model
We study a simple axisymmetric model of the moist Hadley circulation.
The model is based on the Neelin-Zeng quasi-equilibrium tropical circulation
model (QTCM), but incorporates several additional simplifying assumptions,
allowing steady-state axisymmetric solutions to be obtained directly. The
model differs from the standard Schneider-Lindzen-Held-Hou type models in
the incorporation of an explicit moisture equation. We focus on new dynamics
introduced by moisture, addressing questions such as how the size of the Hadley
cell depends on the bulk exchange coefficient for the surface latent heat
flux, what controls the spatial extent of the precipitating region, and how
simply parameterized cloud-radiative feedbacks affect the solution.
Both fixed sea surface temperature and a dynamically passive ocean
mixed layer are considered as lower boundary conditions.
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