Response of eddy activities to localized diabatic heating in Held–Suarez simulations

Abstract

Widespread air pollutions, such as black carbon over East Asia in recent years, could induce a localized diabatic heating, and thus lead to localized static stability and meridional temperature gradient (MTG) changes. Although effect of static stability and MTG on eddies has been addressed by the linear baroclinic instability theory, impacts of a localized heating on mid-latitude eddy activities have not been well explored and quantified. Via a series of idealized global Held–Suarez simulations with different magnitudes of localized heating at different altitudes and latitudes, responses of mid-latitude eddy activity and circulation to these temperature perturbations are systematically investigated. Climatologically, the localized heating in the lower atmosphere induces a wave-like response of eddy activity near the mid-latitude jet stream. Over the heating region, eddy activity tends to be weakening due to the increased static stability. However, there are cyclonic anomalies over the upstream and downstream of the heating region. The zonal mean eddy activity weakens along the baroclinic zone due to reduced MTG and increased static stability. Furthermore, the response of eddy activity increased as the heating magnitude is increased and moved to higher altitudes. The influence of the heating decreases as the heating is prescribed further away from the climatological mid-latitude jet. This implies that the localized heating is most effective over the region with the maximum baroclinicity. Besides, enhanced storm track downstream of the localized heating area found here suggests that increased aerosols over East Asia might strengthen the North Pacific storm track.