76 research outputs found
Moist available potential energy of the mean state of the atmosphere and the thermodynamic potential for warm conveyor belts and convection
Much of our understanding of atmospheric circulation
comes from relationships between aspects of the circulation
and the mean state of the atmosphere. In particular,
the concept of mean available potential energy (MAPE) has
been used previously to relate the strength of the extratropical
storm tracks to the zonal-mean temperature and humidity
distributions. Here, we calculate for the first time the MAPE
of the zonally varying (i.e., three-dimensional) time-mean
state of the atmosphere including the effects of latent heating.
We further calculate a local MAPE by restricting the domain
to an assumed eddy size, and we partition this local MAPE
into convective and nonconvective components. Local convective
MAPE maximizes in the subtropics and midlatitudes,
in many cases in regions of the world that are known to have
intense convection. Local nonconvective MAPE has a spatial
pattern similar to the Eady growth rate, although local
nonconvective MAPE has the advantage that it takes into account
latent heating. Furthermore, the maximum potential ascent
associated with local nonconvective MAPE is related to
the frequency of warm conveyor belts (WCBs), which are
ascending airstreams in extratropical cyclones with large impacts
on weather. This maximum potential ascent can be calculated
based only on mean temperature and humidity, and
WCBs tend to start in regions of high maximum potential ascent
on a given day. These advances in the use of MAPE are
expected to be helpful to connect changes in the mean state
of the atmosphere, such as under global warming, to changes
in important aspects of extratropical circulation
Economic Analysis of Knowledge: The History of Thought and the Central Themes
Following the development of knowledge economies, there has been a rapid expansion of economic analysis of knowledge, both in the context of technological knowledge in particular and the decision theory in general. This paper surveys this literature by identifying the main themes and contributions and outlines the future prospects of the discipline. The wide scope of knowledge related questions in terms of applicability and alternative approaches has led to the fragmentation of research. Nevertheless, one can identify a continuing tradition which analyses various aspects of the generation, dissemination and use of knowledge in the economy
Changing available energy for extratropical cyclones and associated convection in Northern Hemisphere summer
The circulation of the Northern Hemisphere extratropical troposphere has changed over recent decades, with marked decreases in extratropical cyclone activity and eddy kinetic energy (EKE) in summer and increases in the fraction of precipitation that is convective in all seasons. Decreasing EKE in summer is partly explained by a weakening meridional temperature gradient, but changes in vertical temperature gradients and increasing moisture also affect the mean available potential energy (MAPE), which is the energetic reservoir from which extratropical cyclones draw. Furthermore, the relation of changes in mean thermal structure and moisture to changes in convection associated with extratropical cyclones is poorly understood. Here we calculate trends in MAPE for the Northern extratropics in summer over the years 1979–2017, and we decompose MAPE into both convective and nonconvective components. Nonconvective MAPE decreased over this period, consistent with decreases in EKE and extratropical cyclone activity, but convective MAPE increased, implying an increase in the energy available to convection. Calculations with idealized atmospheres indicate that nonconvective and convective MAPE both increase with increasing mean surface temperature and decrease with decreasing meridional surface temperature gradient, but convective MAPE is relatively more sensitive to the increase in mean surface temperature. These results connect changes in the atmospheric mean state with changes in both large-scale and convective circulations, and they suggest that extratropical cyclones can weaken even as their associated convection becomes more energetic.National Science Foundation (U.S.). Graduate Research Fellowship (Grant 1122374)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant AGS 1552195)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant AGS 1749986
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