O. A. Razorenova, P. A. Shabanov

Oceanology

Published date June 1, 2015

The role of oceanic heat fluxes in formation of fields of geopotential gradients in the middle troposphere

  • States the interaction of the ocean and the atmosphere may intensify or weaken the interlatitudinal exchange of mass, heat, and moisture in the atmosphere, thereby determining dominant meridional or zonal circulation types
  • Considers the relation between turbulent oceanic heat fluxes and the field of spatial geopotential gradients in the middle troposphere
  • Studies interactions between oceanic heat transfer and the formation of the fields of spatial geopotential gradients in the middle troposphere using linear regressive analysis
  • Uses monthly means of geopotential at the height of the isobaric surface of 500 hPa from the NCEP/NCAR I reanalysis archive and the fluxes of sensible and latent oceanic heat from the NCEP CFSR reanalysis archive, from 1979 to 2014 inclusively
  • Shows that heat fluxes in the Northern Atlantic play a significant role in the formation of circulation features of the middle troposphere over the Atlantic–European region, which indicates the possible predictability of large-scale characteristics of circulation due to oceanic processes
  • Finds a positive linear link between the oceanic heat flux and the module of geopotential gradient over almost the entire Northern Atlantic