The diurnal cycle and the meridional extent of the tropics

Paul A Milewski; Esteban G Tabak

doi:10.1016/j.physd.2010.10.006

The diurnal cycle and the meridional extent of the tropics

Paul A Milewski, Esteban G Tabak

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Abstract

An explanation is proposed for the meridional extent of the Hadley cells: the diurnal waves forced by solar heating trapped between −30°and 30°. These baroclinic waves, we propose, give rise to the daily nature of tropical meteorology, and ultimately to the intensified mixing and circulation associated with the Hadley cells and the shape of the tropopause. This conceptual explanation is validated with basic scaling arguments and with two diurnally forced one-layer models: One linear and the other nonlinear, the latter with a simple closure for mixing and entrainment by breaking waves.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	233-240
Number of pages	8
Journal	Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena
Volume	240
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physd.2010.10.006
Publication status	Published - 2011

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MIlewskiTabakEquatorFinal.pdf
NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Milewski, P. A. and Tabak, E. G., 2011. The diurnal cycle and the meridional extent of the tropics. Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena, 240 (2), pp. 233-240. DOI: 10.1016/j.physd.2010.10.006
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The diurnal cycle and the meridional extent of the tropics

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