The Atmospheric General Circulation and Its Variability

Abstract

Progress in understanding the general circulation of the atmosphere during the past 25 years is reviewed. The relationships of eddy generation, propagation and dissipation to eddy momentum fluxes and mean zonal winds are now sufficiently understood that intuitive reasoning about momentum based on firm theoretical foundations is possible. Variability in the zonal-flow can now be understood as a process of eddy, zonal-flow interaction. The interaction of tropical overturning circulations driven by latent heating with extratropical wave-driven jets is becoming a fruitfu1 and interesting area of study. Gravity waves have emerged as an important factor in the momentum budget of the general circulation and are now included in weather and climate models in parameterized form. Stationary planetary waves can largely be explained with linear theory.