Abstract
Abstract The effect of horizontal transports of momentum and heat by transient eddies (TE) on the time-mean flow is studied by examining the relevant terms in a local budget of quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity. Two long-term observational data sets are used, and results for the northern Hemisphere winter are presented. The results indicate that eddy beat fluxes in the free atmosphere exert a dissipative influence on both the zonally averaged flow and the stationary waves. On the oilier hand, eddy momentum transports tend to force cyclonic circulations over the semi-permanent Icelandic and Aleutian surface lows, and anticyclonic circulations over the oceanic high pressure cells in the subtropics. The forcing of the time-mean flow arising from horizontal TE heat transports is generally stronger than the forcing associated with eddy momentum transports. The net eddy of eddy transports of heat and momentum is to dissipate the potential enstrophy of the stationary waves. The characteristic time scale asso...
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