Large-Scale Energy Transformations in the Intense Winter Monsoon over the Kuroshio Region

Abstract

Energy transformations involved in the maintenance of kinetic energy in the winter monsoon over the Kuroshio region are investigated with the AMTEX 74 and 75 upper-air observations. The kinetic energy level is very high and the energy transformations are very intense in the winter monsoon over the region. Both the kinetic energy generation and dissipation in the mid and upper troposphere are a few to several times stronger than those in major cyclones of a continental region. A large amount of kinetic energy is supplied to the mid and lower troposphere from the source in the upper troposphere.
We may view the winter nonsoon over the region as part of the intense kinetic energy transformations in the general circulation of the Northern Hemisphere winter with the source in the upper and midtroposphere. The cold air outbreak is essentially a surge of energy. The winter monsoon thus maintained over the ocean is then expected to absorb latent and sensible heat from the ocean surface to increase the available potential energy in the general circulation.