Interactions between boreal summer intraseasonal oscillations and synoptic-scale disturbances over the western North Pacific. Part II: Apparent heat and moisture sources and eddy momentum transport

Abstract

The interactions between the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (ISO) and synoptic-scale variability (SSV) are investigated by diagnosing the atmospheric apparent heat source (Q1), apparent moisture sink (Q2), and eddy momentum transport. It is found that the synoptic Q1 and Q2 heating (cooling) anomalies are in phase with cyclonic (anticyclonic) vorticity disturbances, aligned in a southeast-northwest-oriented wave train pattern over the western North Pacific (WNP). The wave train is well organized and strengthened (loosely organized and weakened) during the ISO active (suppressed) phase. The nonlinearly rectifiedQ1 and Q2 fields due to the eddy-mean flow interaction account for 10%-30% of the total intraseasonal Q1 and Q2 variabilities over the WNP. During the ISO active (suppressed) phase, the nonlinearly rectified intraseasonal Q1 and Q2 heating (cooling) appear to the northwest of the ISO enhanced (suppressed) convection center, favoring the northwestward propagation of the ISO. A diagnosis of the zonal momentum budget shows that the eddy momentumflux convergence forces an intraseasonal westerly (easterly) tendency to the north of the ISO westerly (easterly) center during the ISO active (suppressed) phase. As a result, the eddy momentum transport may contribute to the northward propagation of the boreal summer ISO over the WNP. © 2011 American Meteorological Society.