Atmospheric Response to the Gulf Stream: Seasonal Variations*

Journal of Climate - Tập 23 Số 13 - Trang 3699-3719 - 2010
Shoshiro Minobe1, Masato Miyashita1, Akira Kuwano‐Yoshida2, Hiroki Tokinaga3, Shang‐Ping Xie3
1Department of Natural History Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
2Earth Simulator Center, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Yokohama, Japan
3International Pacific Research Center and Department of Meteorology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii

Tóm tắt

Abstract The atmospheric response to the Gulf Stream front in sea surface temperature is investigated using high-resolution data from satellite observations and operational analysis and forecast. Two types of atmospheric response are observed with different seasonality and spatial distribution. In winter, surface wind convergence is strong over the Gulf Stream proper between Cape Hatteras and the Great Banks, consistent with atmospheric pressure adjustments to sea surface temperature gradients. The surface convergence is accompanied by enhanced precipitation and the frequent occurrence of midlevel clouds. Local evaporation and precipitation are roughly in balance over the Florida Current and the western Gulf Stream proper. In summer, strong precipitation, enhanced high clouds, and increased lightning flash rate are observed over the Florida Current and the western Gulf Stream proper, without seasonal surface convergence enhancement. For the precipitation maximum over the Florida Current, local evaporation supplies about half of the water vapor, and additional moisture is transported from the south on the west flank of the North Atlantic subtropical high. Atmospheric heating estimated by a Japanese reanalysis reveals distinct seasonal variations. In winter, a shallow-heating mode dominates the Gulf Stream proper, with strong sensible heating in the marine atmospheric boundary layer and latent heating in the lower troposphere. In summer, a deep-heating mode is pronounced over the Florida Current and the western Gulf Stream proper, characterized by latent heating in the middle and upper troposphere due to deep convection. Possible occurrences of these heating modes in other regions are discussed.

Từ khóa


Tài liệu tham khảo

Alexander, 1997, Surface flux variability over the North Pacific and North Atlantic., J. Climate, 10, 2963, 10.1175/1520-0442(1997)010<2963:SFVOTN>2.0.CO;2

Aumann, 2003, AIRS/AMSU/HSB on the Aqua mission: Design, science objectives, data products, and processing systems., IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., 41, 253, 10.1109/TGRS.2002.808356

Bjerknes, 1964, Atlantic air–sea interaction., 10.1016/S0065-2687(08)60005-9

Bourras, 2004, Response of the atmospheric boundary layer to a mesoscale oceanic eddy in the northeast Atlantic., J. Geophys. Res., 109, D18114, 10.1029/2004JD004799

Brayshaw, 2008, The storm-track response to idealized SST perturbations in an aquaplanet GCM., J. Atmos. Sci., 65, 2842, 10.1175/2008JAS2657.1

Cayan, 1992, Latent and sensible heat flux anomalies over the northern oceans: The connection to monthly atmospheric circulation., J. Climate, 5, 354, 10.1175/1520-0442(1992)005<0354:LASHFA>2.0.CO;2

Chelton, 2005, Scatterometer-based assessment of 10-m wind analyses from the operational ECMWF and NCEP numerical weather prediction models., Mon. Wea. Rev., 133, 409, 10.1175/MWR-2861.1

Chelton, 2005, Global microwave satellite observations of sea surface temperature for numerical weather prediction and climate research., Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 86, 1097, 10.1175/BAMS-86-8-1097

Chelton, 2004, Satellite measurements reveal persistent small-scale features in ocean winds., Science, 303, 978, 10.1126/science.1091901

Christian, 2003, Global frequency and distribution of lightning as observed from space by the Optical Transient Detector., J. Geophys. Res., 108, 4005, 10.1029/2002JD002347

Ciasto, 2004, North Atlantic atmosphere–ocean interaction on intraseasonal time scales., J. Climate, 17, 1617, 10.1175/1520-0442(2004)017<1617:NAAIOI>2.0.CO;2

Czaja, 2002, Observed impact of Atlantic SST anomalies on the North Atlantic Oscillation., J. Climate, 15, 606, 10.1175/1520-0442(2002)015<0606:OIOASA>2.0.CO;2

Dong, 2007, Interannual variations in upper-ocean heat content and heat transport convergence in the western North Atlantic., J. Phys. Oceanogr., 37, 2682, 10.1175/2007JPO3645.1

Doyle, 1993, The impact of the sea surface temperature resolution on mesoscale coastal processes during GALE IOP 2., Mon. Wea. Rev., 121, 313, 10.1175/1520-0493(1993)121<0313:TIOTSS>2.0.CO;2

Ducet, 2001, A comparison of surface eddy kinetic energy and Reynolds stresses in the Gulf Stream and the Kuroshio current systems from merged TOPEX/Poseidon and ERS-1/2 altimetric data., J. Geophys. Res., 106, 16603, 10.1029/2000JC000205

Feliks, 2004, Low-frequency variability in the midlatitude atmosphere induced by an oceanic thermal front., J. Atmos. Sci., 61, 961, 10.1175/1520-0469(2004)061<0961:LVITMA>2.0.CO;2

Frankignoul, 2001, Gulf stream variability and ocean–atmosphere interactions., J. Phys. Oceanogr., 31, 3516, 10.1175/1520-0485(2002)031<3516:GSVAOA>2.0.CO;2

Graham, 1987, Sea surface temperature, surface wind divergence, and convection over tropical oceans., Science, 238, 657, 10.1126/science.238.4827.657

Hobbs, 1987, The Gulf Stream rainband., Geophys. Res. Lett., 14, 1142, 10.1029/GL014i011p01142

Hoskins, 1981, The steady linear response of a spherical atmosphere to thermal and orographic forcing., J. Atmos. Sci., 38, 1179, 10.1175/1520-0469(1981)038<1179:TSLROA>2.0.CO;2

Joyce, 2009, On the relationship between synoptic wintertime atmospheric variability and path shifts in the Gulf Stream and the Kuroshio Extension., J. Climate, 22, 3177, 10.1175/2008JCLI2690.1

Keenlyside, 2008, Advancing decadal-scale climate prediction in the North Atlantic sector., Nature, 453, 84, 10.1038/nature06921

Kobashi, 2008, Deep atmospheric response to the North Pacific oceanic subtropical front in spring., J. Climate, 21, 5960, 10.1175/2008JCLI2311.1

Kuo, 1991, The interaction between baroclinic and diabatic processes in a numerical simulation of a rapidly intensifying extratropical marine cyclone., Mon. Wea. Rev., 119, 368, 10.1175/1520-0493(1991)119<0368:TIBBAD>2.0.CO;2

Kushnir, 2002, Atmospheric GCM response to extratropical SST anomalies: Synthesis and evaluation., J. Climate, 15, 2233, 10.1175/1520-0442(2002)015<2233:AGRTES>2.0.CO;2

Kuwano-Yoshida, 2010, Precipitation response to the Gulf Stream in an atmospheric GCM., J. Climate, 23, 3676, 10.1175/2010JCLI3261.1

Li, 2004, A cloud line over the Gulf Stream., Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L14108, 10.1029/2004GL019892

Lindzen, 1987, On the role of sea surface temperature gradients in forcing low-level winds and convergence in the tropics., J. Atmos. Sci., 44, 2418, 10.1175/1520-0469(1987)044<2418:OTROSS>2.0.CO;2

Liu, 1996, Equivalent neutral wind.

Liu, 2000, Atmospheric manifestation of tropical instability wave observed by QuikSCAT and tropical rain measuring mission., Geophys. Res. Lett., 27, 2545, 10.1029/2000GL011545

Liu, 2007, Ocean–atmosphere interaction over Agulhas Extension meanders., J. Climate, 20, 5784, 10.1175/2007JCLI1732.1

Minobe, 2005, A 1° monthly gridded sea-surface temperature dataset compiled from ICOADS from 1850 to 2002 and Northern Hemisphere frontal variability., Int. J. Climatol., 25, 881, 10.1002/joc.1170

Minobe, 2008, Influence of the Gulf Stream on the troposphere., Nature, 452, 206, 10.1038/nature06690

Miyasaka, 2005, Structure and formation mechanisms of the Northern Hemisphere summertime subtropical highs., J. Climate, 18, 5046, 10.1175/JCLI3599.1

Nakamura, 2008, On the importance of midlatitude oceanic frontal zones for the mean state and dominant variability in the tropospheric circulation., Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, L15709, 10.1029/2008GL034010

Namias, 1959, Recent seasonal interaction between North Pacific waters and the overlying atmospheric circulation., J. Geophys. Res., 64, 631, 10.1029/JZ064i006p00631

Namias, 1969, Seasonal interactions between the North Pacific Ocean and the atmosphere during the 1960s., Mon. Wea. Rev., 97, 173, 10.1175/1520-0493(1969)097<0173:SIBTNP>2.3.CO;2

Namias, 1972, Experiments in objectively predicting some atmospheric and oceanic variables for the winter of 1971–72., J. Appl. Meteor., 11, 1164, 10.1175/1520-0450(1972)011<1164:EIOPSA>2.0.CO;2

Neelin, 1989, On the interpretation of the Gill model., J. Atmos. Sci., 46, 2466, 10.1175/1520-0469(1989)046<2466:OTIOTG>2.0.CO;2

Nonaka, 2003, Covariations of sea surface temperature and wind over the Kuroshio and its extension: Evidence for ocean-to-atmosphere feedback., J. Climate, 16, 1404, 10.1175/1520-0442(2003)16<1404:COSSTA>2.0.CO;2

O’Neill, 2003, Observations of SST-induced perturbations of the wind stress field over the Southern Ocean on seasonal timescales., J. Climate, 16, 2340, 10.1175/2780.1

O’Neill, 2005, High-resolution satellite measurements of the atmospheric boundary layer response to SST variations along the Agulhas Return Current., J. Climate, 18, 2706, 10.1175/JCLI3415.1

Onogi, 2007, The JRA-25 reanalysis., J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 85, 369, 10.2151/jmsj.85.369

Park, 2006, Modification of surface winds near ocean fronts: Effects of Gulf Stream rings on scatterometer (QuikSCAT, NSCAT) wind observations., J. Geophys. Res., 111, C03021, 10.1029/2005JC003016

Peng, 1997, The modeled atmospheric response to midlatitude SST anomalies and its dependence on background circulation states., J. Climate, 10, 971, 10.1175/1520-0442(1997)010<0971:TMARTM>2.0.CO;2

Reed, 1993, The ERICA IOP 5 Storm. Part II: Sensitivity tests and further diagnosis based on model output., Mon. Wea. Rev., 121, 1595, 10.1175/1520-0493(1993)121<1595:TEISPI>2.0.CO;2

Rio, 2004, A mean dynamic topography computed over the world ocean from altimetry, in situ measurements, and a geoid model., J. Geophys. Res., 109, C12032, 10.1029/2003JC002226

Rossby, 1998, The Oleander project: Monitoring the variability of the Gulf Stream and adjacent waters between New Jersey and Bermuda., Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 79, 5, 10.1175/1520-0477(1998)079<0005:TOPMTV>2.0.CO;2

Samelson, 2006, On the coupling of wind stress and sea surface temperature., J. Climate, 19, 1557, 10.1175/JCLI3682.1

Sampe, 2007, Mapping high sea winds from space: A global climatology., Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 88, 1965, 10.1175/BAMS-88-12-1965

Sampe, 2010, Large-scale dynamics of the meiyu–baiu rainband: Environmental forcing by the westerly jet., J. Climate, 23, 113, 10.1175/2009JCLI3128.1

Sanders, 1986, Explosive cyclogenesis over the west-central North Atlantic Ocean, 1981–84. Part I: Composite structure and mean behavior., Mon. Wea. Rev., 114, 1781, 10.1175/1520-0493(1986)114<1781:ECITWC>2.0.CO;2

Small, 2008, Air-sea interaction over ocean fronts and eddies., Dyn. Atmos. Oceans, 45, 274, 10.1016/j.dynatmoce.2008.01.001

Song, 2006, Surface wind response to oceanic fronts., J. Geophys. Res., 111, C12006, 10.1029/2006JC003680

Sweet, 1981, Air-sea interaction effects in the lower troposphere across the north wall of the Gulf Stream., Mon. Wea. Rev., 109, 1042, 10.1175/1520-0493(1981)109<1042:ASIEIT>2.0.CO;2

Tanimoto, 2003, An active role of extratropical sea surface temperature anomalies in determining anomalous turbulent heat flux., J. Geophys. Res., 108, 3304, 10.1029/2002JC001750

Taylor, 1998, The North Atlantic oscillation and the latitude of the Gulf Stream., Tellus, 50A, 134, 10.3402/tellusa.v50i1.14517

Thiébaux, 2003, A new high-resolution blended real-time global sea surface temperature analysis., Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 84, 645, 10.1175/BAMS-84-5-645

Tokinaga, 2005, SST-induced surface wind variations over the Brazil–Malvinas confluence: Satellite and in situ observations., J. Climate, 18, 3470, 10.1175/JCLI3485.1

Tokinaga, 2009, Ocean frontal effects on the vertical development of clouds over the western North Pacific: In situ and satellite observations., J. Climate, 22, 4241, 10.1175/2009JCLI2763.1

Tomczak, 2003, Regional Oceanography: An Introduction.

Trunk, 1990, Mean radar echo characteristics during project GALE., Mon. Wea. Rev., 118, 459, 10.1175/1520-0493(1990)118<0459:MRECDP>2.0.CO;2

Waliser, 1993, Comparison of the highly reflective cloud and outgoing longwave radiation datasets for use in estimating tropical deep convection., J. Climate, 6, 331, 10.1175/1520-0442(1993)006<0331:COTHRC>2.0.CO;2

Wallace, 1989, The influence of sea surface temperature on surface wind in the eastern equatorial Pacific: Seasonal and interannual variability., J. Climate, 2, 1492, 10.1175/1520-0442(1989)002<1492:TIOSST>2.0.CO;2

Wang, 2006, Influences of the Atlantic warm pool on Western Hemisphere summer rainfall and Atlantic hurricanes., J. Climate, 19, 3011, 10.1175/JCLI3770.1

Wang, 2007, Impact of the Atlantic warm pool on the summer climate of the Western Hemisphere., J. Climate, 20, 5021, 10.1175/JCLI4304.1

Warner, 1990, Marine atmospheric boundary layer circulations forced by Gulf Stream sea surface temperature gradients., Mon. Wea. Rev., 118, 309, 10.1175/1520-0493(1990)118<0309:MABLCF>2.0.CO;2

Watanabe, 2006, Accelerated iterative method for solving steady problems of linearized atmospheric models., J. Atmos. Sci., 63, 3366, 10.1175/JAS3807.1

White, 2003, Coupling of extratropical mesoscale eddies in the ocean to westerly winds in the atmospheric boundary layer., J. Phys. Oceanogr., 33, 1095, 10.1175/1520-0485(2003)033<1095:COEMEI>2.0.CO;2

Xie, 2004, Satellite observations of cool ocean–atmosphere interaction., Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc., 85, 195, 10.1175/BAMS-85-2-195

Xie, 2002, Bathymetric effect on the winter sea surface temperature and climate of the Yellow and East China Seas., Geophys. Res. Lett., 29, 2228, 10.1029/2002GL015884

Young, 2003, Mesoscale stratocumulus bands caused by Gulf Stream meanders., Mon. Wea. Rev., 131, 2177, 10.1175/1520-0493(2003)131<2177:MSBCBG>2.0.CO;2

Zolina, 2003, Synoptic variability of ocean–atmosphere turbulent fluxes associated with atmospheric cyclones., J. Climate, 16, 2717, 10.1175/1520-0442(2003)016<2717:SVOOTF>2.0.CO;2

Thông tin
Thông tin xuất bản

Journal of Climate

Tập 23 Số 13

3699-3719

Thông tin tác giả