Distinct intensity of 10–30-day intraseasonal waves over the North Pacific between early and late summers

Abstract

The authors’ previous study identified the wave trains of intraseasonal oscillations, which are mainly in the band of 10–30 days, over the North Pacific during summer. The wave trains are zonally oriented and trapped along the upper-tropospheric westerly jet, and accordingly gain energy mainly through baroclinic energy conversion. In this study, the authors investigate the distinct features of the wave trains between early summer (1 June to 7 July) and late summer (8 July to 31 August), considering that the westerly jet experiences a remarkable subseasonal variation over the North Pacific during summer—that is, the jet is much stronger in early summer than late summer. The results indicate that the wave trains are stronger in early summer compared with late summer. Further analysis suggests that, in early summer, the wave trains can obtain energy more efficiently from the basic flow; or more exactly, stronger westerlies through baroclinic energy conversion.摘要我们之前的研究工作表明, 夏季北太平洋上空存在主导周期为10-30天的季节内波列, 波列纬向分布于上层西风急流带中, 并通过斜压能量转换从基本气流获取能量得到发展和维持. 由于西风急流在前夏(6月1日–7月7日)明显强于后夏(7月8日–8月31日), 因而, 在本研究中, 我们着重研究了波列在前, 后夏的不同特征. 研究结果表明, 波列强度在前夏明显强于后夏, 其原因在于波列在前夏能够通过斜压能量转换从更强的西风中获取更多的能量.