Abstract
Convective parameterizations attempt to approximate the Reynolds-averaged effects of a convective ensemble on the large-scale flow as a function of the large-scale parameters. The interaction of convective ensemble effects with the large-scale circulation can produce phenomena not found in a non-convecting atmosphere, and the theoretical understanding of this interaction has long been a goal of tropical meteorology. Since convective closures are often complicated to work with in a theoretical model, most such work has been done with very simplified representations of convection. Most commonly, these fix the vertical structure of convective heating, with its magnitude taken proportional to low-level convergence or moisture convergence. These are referred to here as convergence-feedback parameterizations. They are sometimes referred to as “CISK” parameterizations, since they may produce instabilities in the large-scale model flow known as CISK (conditional instability of the second kind). The view of the tropical circulation resulting from such models has had a strong influence upon the field, both for tropical internal variability (Charney and Eliassen 1964; Ooyama 1964; Yamasaki 1969; Hayashi 1970, 1971a,b,c; Lindzen 1974a,b; Chang and Piwowar 1974; Stevens and Lindzen 1978; Davies 1979; Crum and Stevens 1983; Lau and Peng 1987; Hendon 1988; Wang 1988; Sui and Lau 1989; Bladé and Hartmann 1993, Wang and Li 1994) and the response of the tropical atmosphere to sea surface temperature (SST) boundary conditions. In the latter case, most work has been done with very few vertical layers, usually with no moisture equation, and often with semi-empirical linkages of convective heating to SST. Nonetheless these models give useful simulations of anomalous tropical low-level winds (Gill 1980; Webster 1981; Zebiak 1986; Weare 1986; Lindzen and Nigam 1987; Neelin and Held 1987; Kleeman 1991; Wang and Li 1993), and it is of interest to seek justification for why they work, using a model with a more detailed representation of deep convection.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Arakawa, A., and W. H. Schubert, 1974: Interaction of a cumulus cloud ensemble with the large-scale environment, Part I. J. Atmos. Sci., 31, 674–701.
Arakawa, A., 1993: Closure assumptions in the cumulus parameterization problem. Chapter 1 in The Representation of Cumulus Convection in Numerical Models of the Atmosphere. (Eds. K. A. Emanuel and D. J. Raymond.) Amer. Meteor. Soc., Meteor. Mon., 24, No. 46, 1–15.
Betts, A. K., 1986: A new convective adjustment scheme. Part I: Observational and theoretical basis. Quart. J. R. Met. Soc., 112, 677–691.
Betts, A. K., and M. J. Miller, 1986: A new convective adjustment scheme. Part II: Single column tests using GATE wave, BOMEX, ATEX and arctic air-mass data sets. Quart. J. R. Met. Soc., 112, 693–709.
Betts, A. K., and M. J. Miller, 1993: The Betts-Miller scheme. Chapter 9 in The Representation of Cumulus Convection in Numerical Models of the Atmosphere. (Eds. K. A. Emanuel and D. J. Raymond.) Amer. Meteor. Soc., Meteor. Mon. 24 No. 46, 107–121.
Bladé, I. and D. L. Hartmann, 1993: Tropical intraseasonal oscillations in a simple nonlinear model. J. Atmos. Sci., 50, 2922–2939.
Bretherton, C. S., 1993: The nature of adjustment in cumulus cloud fields. Chapter 5 in The Representation of Cumulus Convection in Numerical Models of the Atmosphere. (Eds. K. A. Emanuel and D. J. Raymond.) Amer. Meteor. Soc., Meteor. Mon., 24, No. 46, 63–74.
Bretherton, C. S., and P. K. Smolarkiewicz, 1989: Gravity waves, compensating subsidence and detrainment around cumulus clouds. J. Atmos. Sci., 46, 740–759.
Brown, R. G., and C. S. Bretherton, 1997: A test of the strict quasi-equilibrium theory on long space and time scales. J. Atmos. Sci., 54, 624
Chang, C. P., and H. Lim, 1988: Kelvin wave-CISK. A possible mechanism for the 30–50 day oscillations. J. Atmos. Sci., 45, 1709–1720.
Chang, C. P., and T.M. Piwawar, 1974: Effect of a CISK parameterization on tropical wave growth. J. Atmos. Sci., 31, 1256–1261.
Charney, J.G., and A. Eliassen, 1964: On the growth of the hurricane depression. J. Atmos. Sci., 21, 68–74.
Cheng, M.-D., 1989: Effects of downdrafts and mesoscale convective organization on the heat and moisture budgets of tropical cloud clusters. Part II: Effects of convective-scale downdrafts. J. Atmos. Sci., 46, 1540–1564.
Crum, F. X., and D. E. Stevens, 1983: A comparison of two cumulus parameterization schemes in a linear model of wave-CISK. J. Atmos. Sci., 40, 2671–2688.
Davies, H. C., 1979: Phase-lagged wave-CISK. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 105, 325–353.
Emanuel, K. A., 1987: An air-sea interaction model of intraseasonal oscillations in the tropics. J. Atmos. Sci., 44, 2324–2340.
Emanuel, K. A., 1993: The effect of convective response time on WISHE modes. J. Atmos. Sci., 50, 1763–1775.
Emanuel, K. A., 1994: Atmospheric Convection. Oxford University Press, 580 pp.
Emanuel, K. A., J. D. Neelin and C. S. Bretherton, 1994: On large-scale circulations in convecting atmospheres. Quart. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 120, 1111–1143.
Fu, R., A. D. Del Genio, and W. B. Rossow, 1990: Behavior of deep convective clouds in the tropical Pacific deduced from ISCCP radiances. J. Climate, 3, 1129–1152.
Fu, R., A. D. Del Genio, and W. B. Rossow, 1994: Influence of ocean surface conditions on atmospheric vertical thermodynamic structure and deep convection. J. Climate, 7, 1092–1108.
Gill, A. E., 1980: Some simple solutions for heat induced tropical circulation. Quart. J. Roy. Met. Soc., 106, 447–462.
Hayashi, Y., 1970: A theory of large-scale equatorial waves generated by condensation heat and accelerating the zonal wind. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 48, 140–160.
Hayashi, Y., 1971a: Instability of large-scale equatorial waves with a frequency-dependent CISK parameterization. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 49, 59–62.
Hayashi, Y., 1971b: Instability of large-scale equatorial waves under the radiation condition. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 49, 316–319.
Hayashi, Y., 1971c: Large-scale equatorial waves destabilized by convective heating in the presence of surface friction. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 49, 458–466.
Hayashi, Y., and D. G. Golder, 1986: Tropical intraseasonal oscillations appearing in a GFDL general circulation model and FGGE data. Part I: Phase propagation. J. Atmos. Sci., 43, 3058–3067.
Hayashi, Y., and S. Miyahara, 1987: A three-dimensional linear response model of the tropical intraseasonal oscillation. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 65, 843–852.
Hendon, H. H., 1988: A simple model of the 40–50 day oscillation. J. Atmos. Sci., 45, 569–584.
Houze, 1982: Cloud clusters and large-scale vertical motions in the tropics. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 60, 396–410.
Johnson, R. H., 1984: Partitioning tropical heat and moisture budgets into cumulus and mesoscale components: Implication for cumulus parameterization. Mon. Wea. Rev., 112, 1590–1601.
Jordan, C. L., 1958: Mean sounding for the West Indies area. J. Meteor., 15, 91–97.
Kleeman, R. 1991: A simple model of the atmospheric response to ENSO sea surface temperature anomalies. J. Atmos. Sci., 48, 3–18.
Lau, K.-M., and L. Peng, 1987: Origin of low-frequency (intraseasonal) oscillations in the tropical atmosphere. Part I: Basic theory. J. Atmos. Sci., 44, 950–972.
Lindzen, R., 1974: Wave-CISK in the Tropics. J. Atmos. Sci., 31, 156–179.
Manabe, S., and R. F. Strickler, 1964: Thermal equilibrium of the atmosphere with a convective adjustment. J. Atmos. Sci., 21, 361–385.
Mapes, B. E., and R. A. Houze, Jr., 1997: Diabatic divergence profiles in western Pacific Mesoscale convective systems. J. Atmos. Sci., 52, 1807–1828.
Moorthi, S., and M. J. Suarez, 1992: Relaxed Arakawa-Schubert: A parameterization of moist convection for general circulation models. Mon. Wea. Rev., 120, 978–1002.
Neelin, J. D., and I. M. Held, 1987: Modelling tropical convergence based on the moist static energy budget. Mon. Wea. Rev., 115, 3–12.
Neelin, J. D., I. M. Held and K. H. Cook, 1987: Evaporation-wind feedback and low frequency variability in the tropical atmosphere. J. Atmos. Sci., 44, 2341–2348.
Neelin, J. D., and J.-Y. Yu, 1994: Modes of tropical variability under convective adjustment and the Madden-Julian oscillation. Part I: Analytical results. J. Atmos. Sci., 51, 1876–1894.
Neelin, J. D., and N. Zeng, 1997: The first quasi-equilibrium tropical circulation model—formulation. In preparation.
Numaguti, A., and Y.Y. Hayashi, 1991: Behaviors of the cumulus activity and the structures of the circulations in the “aqua planet” model. Part II: Large scale structures and the evaporation-wind feedback. J. Meteor. Soc. Japan, 69, 563–579.
Ooyama, K., 1964: A dynamical model for the study of tropical cyclone development. Geofisica International (Mexico), 4, 187–198.
Randall, D.A., and D.-M. Pan, 1993: Implementation of the ArakawaSchubert cumulus parameterization with a prognostic closure. Chapter 11 in The Representation of Cumulus Convection in Numerical Models of the Atmosphere. (Eds. K. A. Emanuel and D. J. Raymond.) Amer. Meteor. Soc., Meteor. Mon., 24, No. 46, 137–144.
Randall, D.A., and J. Wang, 1992: The moist available energy of a conditionally unstable atmosphere. J. Atmos. Sci., 49, 240–255.
Reed, R. J., E. E. and Recker, 1971: Structure and properties of synoptic-scale waves disturbances in the equatorial western Pacific. J. Atmos. Sci., 28, 1117–1133.
Seager, R., and S. E. Zebiak, 1994: Convective interaction with dynamics in a linear primitive equation model. J. Atmos. Sci., 51, 1307–1331.
Seager, R., and S. E. Zebiak, 1995: Simulation of tropical climate with a linear primitive equation model. J. Clim., 8, 2497–2520.
Stevens, D. E., and R. S. Lindzen, 1978: Tropical wave-CISK with a moisture budget and cumulus friction. J. Atmos. Sci., 35, 940–961.
Sui, C.-H., and K.-M. Lau, 1989: Origin of low frequency (intraseasonal) oscillations in the tropical atmosphere. Part II: Structure and propagation by mobile wave-CISK modes and their modification by lower boundary forcings. J. Atmos. Sci., 46, 37–56.
Thompson, R. M., Jr., S. W. Payne, E E Recker, and R. J. Reed, 1979: Structure and properties of synoptic-scale wave disturbances in the intertropical convergence zone of the eastern Atlantic. J. Atmos. Sci., 36, 53–72.
Weare, B. C., 1986: A simple model of the tropical atmosphere with circulation dependent heating and specific humidity. J. Atmos. Sci., 43, 2001–2016.
Wang, B., 1988: Dynamics of tropical low-frequency waves: An analysis of the moist Kelvin wave. J. Atmos. Sci., 45, 2051–2065.
Wang, B. and Li, T., 1993: A simple tropical atmosphere model of relevance to short-term climate variations. J. Atmos. Sci., 50, 260–284.
Wang, B., and T. Li, 1994: Convective interaction with boundary-layer dynamics in the development of a tropical intraseasonal system. J. Atmos. Sci., 51, 1386–1400.
Webster, P. J., 1981: Mechanisms determining the atmospheric response to sea surface temperature anomalies. J. Atmos. Sci., 38, 554–571.
Williams, E. R., and N. Renno, 1993: An analysis of the conditional instability of the tropical atmosphere. Mon. Wea. Rev., 121, 21-36.
Xu, K.-M., and K. A. Emanuel, 1989: Is the tropical atmosphere conditionally unstable? Mon. Wea. Rev., 117, 1471–1479.
Yamasaki, M., 1969: Large-scale disturbances in a conditionally unstable atmosphere in low latitudes. Papers in Meteor. Geophys., 20, 289–336.
Yanai, M., S. Esbensen, and J.-H. Chu, 1973: Determination of bulk properties of tropical cloud clusters from large-scale heat and moisture budgets. J. Atmos. Sci., 30, 611–627.
Yanai, M., and R. H. Johnson, 1993: Impacts of cumulus convection on thermodynamic fields. Chapter 4 in The Representation of Cumulus Convection in Numerical Models of the Atmosphere. (Eds. K. A. Emanuel and D. J. Raymond.) Amer. Meteor. Soc., Meteor. Mon., 24, No. 46, 39–62.
Yano, J.-I., and K. Emanuel, 1991: An improved model of the equatorial troposphere and its coupling with the stratosphere. J. Atmos. Sci., 48, 377–389.
Yu, J.-Y., and Neelin, J. D., 1994: Modes of tropical variability under convective adjustment and the Madden-Julian oscillation. Part II: Numerical results. J. Atmos. Sci., 51, 1895–1914.
Yu, J.-Y., and J. D. Neelin, 1997: Analytic approximations for moist convectively adjusted regions. J. Climate, 54, 1054–1063.
Yu, J.-Y., C. Chou and J. D. Neelin, 1997: Estimating the gross moist stability of the tropical atmosphere. J. Atmos. Sci.,in press.
Zebiak, S. E., 1986: Atmospheric convergence feedback in a simple model for El Nino. Mon. Wea. Rev., 114, 1263–1271.
Zeng, N., J. D. Neelin, and C. Chou, 1997: The first quasi-equilibrium tropical circulation model-simulation. In preparation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Neelin, J.D. (1997). Implications of Convective Quasi-Equilibrium for the Large-Scale Flow. In: Smith, R.K. (eds) The Physics and Parameterization of Moist Atmospheric Convection. NATO ASI Series, vol 505. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8828-7_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8828-7_17
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-4960-5
Online ISBN: 978-94-015-8828-7
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive