Abstract
Abstract In this paper, the mean meridional circulation (MMC) forced by eddy fluxes of heat and momentum is examined using a simple quasigeostrophic, two-level model of the zonal-mean atmosphere. Analytic solutions have been obtained, which show that analyses of the eddy-induced MMC using the Kuo-Eliassen equation are most appropriate for high-frequency fluctuations. For steady-state or low-frequency fluctuations, the eddy fluxes will lead to changes in the zonal-mean zonal wind and temperature. These changes in the zonal-mean state will induce changes in frictional dissipation and diabatic heating, which (together with the eddy fluxes) are constrained to satisfy a generalization of the Eliassen-Palm theorem and will also act as source terms to the Kuo-Eliassen equation. The inclusion of these induced terms usually leads to a significant enhancement in the diagnosed intensity of the MMC. This can explain why previous studies of the MMC found a much weaker eddy-induced Ferrel cell than that observed when t...
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