Dynamic Properties of Diurnal and Annual Horizontal Convections in the Japanese Islands

Abstract

Two physical parameters, thermal skin depth and dynamic impedance, are introduced to discuss the vertical structures and dynamic processes of diurnal and annual horizontal convections. These parameters are evaluated for the winds over the Japanese islands. The seasonal and daily wind cycles have almost the same scale of thermal skin depth. The ratio of the dynamic impedance of the annual convection to that of the diurnal convection is about 3.