Mountains, the Global Frictional Torque, and the Circulation over the Pacific–North American Region

Abstract

Abstract The global mountain (τM ) and frictional (τF ) torques are lag correlated within the intraseasonal band, with τF leading τM. The correlation accounts for 20%–45% of their variance. Two basic feedbacks contribute to the relationship. First, the mountain torque forces global atmospheric angular momentum (AAM) anomalies and the frictional torque damps them; thus, dτF/dt ∝ −τM. Second, frictional torque anomalies are associated with high-latitude sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies, which contribute to subsequent mountain torque anomalies; thus, dτM/dt ∝ τF. These feedbacks help determine the growth and decay of global AAM anomalies on intraseasonal timescales. The low-frequency intraseasonal aspect of the relationship is studied for northern winter through lag regressions on τF. The linear Madden–Julian oscillation signal is first removed from τF to focus the analysis on midlatitude dynamical processes. The decorrelation timescale of τF is similar to that of teleconnection patterns and zonal index cy...