event
Thursday 28 Jan 2021: Revisiting the coupled behavior of the subtropical jet and Hadley Cell
Molly Menzel - John Hopkins University
Zoom 14:30-16:30
Recent research shows the subtropical jet (STJ) is not dynamically coupled to the edge of the Hadley Cell (HC) as current theory would predict. New analysis presents a hypothesis as to why; the HC edge is set by the subtropical static stability while the STJ's behavior is closely tied to that of the meridional temperature gradients. The disconnect between the HC and STJ is revealed in output from comprehensive climate models and reanalysis data, but it is not yet known whether a disconnect can be captured in idealized atmospheric models. In our study, we explore the coupling between the HC and STJ in an idealized dry atmospheric model and examine under which conditions there is a disconnect. We find a strong coupling of the STJ and HC in the classical Held-Suarez configuration, but a decoupling when the model simulates a more accurate basic state. Future work will be done to discern the key aspects of the basic state to further shed light on the processes involved.
Zoom Meeting Details: https://Universityofexeter.zoom.us/j/99041360958?pwd=UEVsKzFiWjJ2aG5oWW5RRTA2OEFEUT09
Meeting ID: 990 4136 0958
Password: 598602
