MC 5479
Speaker
Dr.
Karen
Smith
Lamont-Doherty
Earth
Observatory
Ocean
and
Climate
Physics
Title
Stratosphere-troposphere coupling in an idealized atmospheric model
Abstract
It
is
now
well-established
that
the
stratosphere,
the
layer
of
the
atmosphere
between
~10-50km,
has
an
influence
on
the
troposphere
below.
The
nature
of
this
influence
has
been
clearly
characterized
from
observations
and
simulations,
yet
the
underlying
dynamical
mechanisms
that
couple
the
stratosphere
and
troposphere
are
not
fully
understood.
Idealized
atmospheric
models
have
been
widely
used
to
study
this
problem
given
short
observational
records
and
the
lack
of
stratosphere-resolving
coupled
climate
models.
Although, there are now many stratosphere-resolving climate models, dynamical insights can still be gained by using idealized models. I will discuss two of my recent projects that make use of an idealized atmospheric model to examine 1) the role of stratosphere-troposphere coupling in the circulation response to Arctic amplification and 2) the importance of planetary-scale waves in the tropospheric eddy feedback mechanism that couples stratospheric perturbations to the troposphere.