Large-Scale Dynamics and the Maintenance and Variability of the Hydrological Cycle of the Troposphere

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The PI will address the question of how large-scale dynamics, and in particular baroclinic eddies, contribute to the maintenance and variability of the hydrological cycle of the troposphere. The PI will study: (i) how important baroclinic eddies are relative to mean circulations in transporting water vapor and in maintaining the global-scale water vapor distribution; (ii) how water vapor transport by baroclinic eddies depends on circulation characteristics such as the pole-to-equator temperature gradient and the thermal structure of the troposphere; and (iii) how the presence of water vapor and latent heat release affects scales, structures, and transport properties of baroclinic eddies. The PI will address these questions by means of analyses of observational data and simulations with an idealized general circulation model. A postdoctoral associate and a graduate student will participate in this research.