TY - JOUR
T1 - On the Causes of Synoptic-Scale Eddy Heat Flux Decline
AU - Park, Mingyu
AU - Lee, Sukyoung
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022. The Authors.
PY - 2022/12/28
Y1 - 2022/12/28
N2 - The poleward heat flux by atmospheric waves plays a pivotal role in maintaining the meridional temperature gradient. A recent study found that in the Northern Hemisphere the heat flux by transient eddies has been weakening, and the study attributed this weakening to the smaller equator-to-pole temperature gradient caused by Arctic warming. During the period of 1979–2019 examined here, for the annual mean, both the synoptic-scale eddy heat flux and the temperature gradient had indeed declined. However, from October to April, the synoptic-scale eddy flux trend is more closely tied to the planetary-scale eddy heat flux trend, than to the temperature gradient trend. From June to August, the synoptic-scale eddy flux decline can be attributed to a warming of the high-latitude land areas. Therefore, a more comprehensive interpretation of the synoptic-scale eddy heat flux trend needs to include the dynamics of the planetary-scale waves and summer land warming.
AB - The poleward heat flux by atmospheric waves plays a pivotal role in maintaining the meridional temperature gradient. A recent study found that in the Northern Hemisphere the heat flux by transient eddies has been weakening, and the study attributed this weakening to the smaller equator-to-pole temperature gradient caused by Arctic warming. During the period of 1979–2019 examined here, for the annual mean, both the synoptic-scale eddy heat flux and the temperature gradient had indeed declined. However, from October to April, the synoptic-scale eddy flux trend is more closely tied to the planetary-scale eddy heat flux trend, than to the temperature gradient trend. From June to August, the synoptic-scale eddy flux decline can be attributed to a warming of the high-latitude land areas. Therefore, a more comprehensive interpretation of the synoptic-scale eddy heat flux trend needs to include the dynamics of the planetary-scale waves and summer land warming.
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U2 - 10.1029/2022GL100963
DO - 10.1029/2022GL100963
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85145186326
SN - 0094-8276
VL - 49
JO - Geophysical Research Letters
JF - Geophysical Research Letters
IS - 24
M1 - e2022GL100963
ER -