Tropopause height in baroclinic channel flow

Abstract

A wave-mean flow model of dry channel flow is used to investigate the processes that determines the height HT and the slope of the extratropical tropopause. Without baroclinic waves, differential radiative heating and a convective adjustment mechanism cooperate to establish a well-defined tropopause and a mean zonal wind with almost constant vertical shear. This reference state is neutrally stratified in the troposphere and, therefore, baroclinically unstable. It is shown that the meridional and vertical heat transports by the unstable linear eigenmodes include a rise of the tropopause in the northern part of the channel, whereas there is little change of HT in the south. -from Author