Abstract
In observations, the 2-day waves, identified as the convectively coupled equatorial inertio-gravity (IG) waves, only propagate westward. To understand this feature, a simple theoretical model is presented for the convectively coupled equatorial waves (CCEWs). Under the assumption that the convective heating is proportional to the vertical velocity on the first baroclinic mode, the nonlinear governing equation for the meridional velocity of the CCEWs can be derived. The optimal method is used to obtain the dispersion relation from this nonlinear equation, and the results show that the deep convection can slow down the IG waves by decreasing the mean state static stability, but the key leading to the westward propagation of the IG waves is the full meridional variation of the sea surface temperature (SST). The warm SST trapped near the equator excites long westward propagating IG waves, whereas the warm SST trapped near the ITCZ centered at 10° N excites short westward propagating IG waves. This theoretical model provides a simple tool to study the CCEWs in understanding the tropical circulation.
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