The effects of topography on the summer atmospheric energetics of the Northern Hemisphere in a low-resolution global spectral model

Abstract

An analysis is made of the effects of topography on the summer atmospheric energetics of the Northern Hemisphere in a low-resolution global spectral model. The numerical mode! is a global, spectral, primitive equation model with five equally spaced sigma levels in the vertical and triangular truncation at wavenumber 10 in the horizontal. The model includes comparatively full physical processes. Each term of the energy budget equations is calculated in four specific latitudinal belts (81.11°S–11.53°S; 11.53°S–11.53°N; 11.53°N–46.24°N; 46.24°N–81.11°N) from a five-year simulation with mountains and a one-year simulation without mountains, respectively. Differences between them are compared and statistically tested. The results show that synoptical scale waves transport available potential energy and kinetic energy to long waves and increase conversion from available potential energy of the zonal flow to eddy's and from the eddy kinetic energy to the zonal kinetic energy in region 3 (11.53°N-46.24°N) due to mountains; topography intensifies the atmospheric baroclinity in region 3, consequently the baroclinic conversion of atmosphere energy is increased. The seasonal characteristics associated with the summer atmospheric energy source in region 3 are caused by seasonal variation of the solar radiation and the land-ocean contrasts and independent of topographic effects. The mechanism of topographic effects on the increase of long wave kinetic energy is also discussed.