Tracer evolution in winds generated by a global spectral mechanistic model

Abstract

The lower boundary of a spectral mechanistic model is prescribed with 100 hPa geopotentials, and its performance during a November 1989 through March 1990 integration is compared with National Meteorological Center observations. Although the stratopause temperatures quickly become biased near the pole in both hemispheres, the model develops a residual mean circulation which shows significant descent over the winter pole and ascent in the tropics and over the summer pole at pressures less than 10 hPa. The daily correspondence of observed to modeled features in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere degrades after one month. However, the long‐term variability qualitatively follows the observations. The results of off‐line transport experiments are also described. A passive tracer is instantaneously injected into the flow over the poles and evolves in a manner which is consistent with the residual mean circulation. It demonstrates a significant cross‐equatorial flux in the mesosphere near solstice, and air which originates in the southern hemisphere polar mesosphere can be found descending deep into the northern polar stratosphere at the end of the integration. Nitrous oxide is also transported, and its ability to act as a dynamical tracer is evaluated by comparison to the evolution of the passive tracer.