Linear response of a stratified tropical atmosphere to convective forcing.

Abstract

The three-dimensional response of the tropical atmosphere to an isolated heat source is investigated using a primitive equation model linearized about a resting basic state on an equatorial Beta-plane. The model results with steady forcing are compared with the average circulation over tropical South America for a 19-day period in the Southern Hemisphere summer of 1979, and it is shown that the model reproduces many aspects of the observed circulation. The model results with transient forcing are compared with the results from a single equivalent depth version of the mode, and it is shown that the horizontal structure is quite similar, but there are significant differences in the vertical structure of the response. The transient response is also compared with the steady state response. -from Author