Dynamics and Maintenance of the Intertropical Convergence Zones

热带辐合带（ITCZ） 地球大气中的气候特征， 与热带大规模的热带风暴 （Hadley）环流和低纬地面环流。 ITCZ驱动着大脑中的循环细胞， 从热带到中纬度地区的动量和多余的热量， 从而影响中纬度地区的斜压性， 气候 此外，东太平洋ITCZ似乎发挥了 在大厄尔尼诺/南方涛动气候中的作用 波动 然而，这些过程的动力学和能量学 维持热带辐合带的能力很差， 明白 本研究探讨了ITCZ的维护 现象和相关的大规模环流，使用 大气环流模式和一个简化的三层模式 热带大气。 私家侦探将探索 边界加热（海面温度）和地形效应 ITCZ的位置、强度、能量学和动力学 通过一系列精心设计的GCM实验， 越来越复杂的强迫。 一个三层模型， 将建造热带大气， 有助于解释GCM实验（这 模型将明确解决边界层和自由 斜压热带对流层环流）。 结果将有助于更好地定义关系 ITCZ与大尺度对流层和地表之间 循环，从而有助于我们的知识， 全球气候

The Intertropical Convergence Zones (ITCZs) are climatological features in the earth's atmosphere that are intimately tied to both the tropical large-scale meridional (Hadley) circulation and the low-latitude surface circulation. The ITCZs drive the meridional circulation cells which transport momentum and excess heat from the tropics to midlatitudes, thereby affecting the baroclinity of the midlatitudes and hence climate. In addition, the eastern Pacific ITCZ appears to play a role in the large El Nino/Southern Oscillation climate fluctuations. Yet the dynamics and energetics of the processes maintaining the Intertropical Convergence Zones are poorly understood. This study examines the maintenance of the ITCZ phenomenon and the associated large-scale circulation, using a General Circulation Model and a simplified 3-layer model of the tropical atmosphere. The PI will explore how the surface boundary heating (sea surface temperature) and orography effect the location, strength, energetics and dynamics of the ITCZ through a carefully designed set of GCM experiments with increasingly complicated forcing. A 3-layer model of the tropical atmosphere will be constructed and employed to facilitate in the interpretation of the GCM experiments (this model will explicitly resolve the boundary layer and the free baroclinic tropical tropospheric circulations). The results will help to better define the relationship between the ITCZ and large-scale meridional and surface circulations, and hence contribute to our knowledge of the global climate.