Tropical Oceanic Hot Towers: Need They Be Undilute to Transport Energy from the Boundary Layer to the Upper Troposphere Effectively? An Answer Based on Trajectory Analysis of a Simulation of a TOGA COARE Convective System

摘要

This paper addresses qu_estions resulting from the authors’ earlier simulation of the 9 February 1993 Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Research Experiment (TOGA COARE) squall line, which used updraft trajectories to illustrate how updrafts deposit significant moist static energy (in terms of equivalent potential temperature θ_e) in the upper troposphere, despite dilution and a θ_e minimum in the midtroposphere. Themajor conclusion drawn fromthis earlierworkwas that the "hot towers" thatRiehl andMalkus showed as necessary to maintain the Hadley circulation need not be undilute. It was not possible, however, to document how the energy (or θ_e) increased above themidtroposphere. To address this relevant scientific qu_estion, a highresolution (300 m) simulation was carried out using a standard 3-ICEmicrophysics scheme (Lin–Farley–Orville).