MODULATION OF ATMOSPHERIC THERMAL AND MECHANICAL FORCINGS AND NUMERICAL MODELING OF MEAN MERIDIONAL CIRCULATION

Upon investigating the relative locations of internal and external forcing and the resultant mean meridional circulation,it was found that thermal forcing and mechanical forcing for the formation of atmospheric mean meridional circulation are modulated by a certain ratio.This ratio is determined by the inherent baroclinity,static stability and absolute vorticity of the atmosphere.By employing a parameterization scheme for radiative heating and condensation heating,together with the analysisdata of the European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts,the mean meridional circulation for January wassimulated numerically.It was found that latent heat release in the tropics may result in the formation of double-layeredHadley circulation,so do the eddy momentum transfer processes.On the other hand,mean meridional circulations in extra-tropics are mainly determined by external momentum forcing and atmospheric properties of eddy momentum andheat transfer.