Some thoughts on upper-atmosphere (middle atmosphere) waven-driven circulations…
-
Review paper of Butchart: The concept of a global stratospheric mass circulation almost certainly originates from Dobson et al. [1929] who, despite some concerns, noted that “the only way in which we [Dobson et al.] could reconcile the observed high ozone concentration in the Arctic in spring and the low concentration in the Tropics, with the hypothesis that the ozone is formed by the action of sunlight, would be to suppose a general slow poleward drift in the highest atmosphere with a slow descent of air near the Pole.” Brewer [1949] likewise noted that “all the observed phenomena [in upper air water vapor measurements] can be explained if it is assumed that air circulates by a slow mean motion into the stratosphere at the equator, moves poleward in the stratosphere and sinks into the troposphere in temperate and polar regions”
-
Climate change speeds up the Brewer-Dobson circulation • Processes driving the Brewer-Dobson circulation trends are not fully understood
-
Shallow and deep branch of BD circulation (different time scale, different fluxes, different forcing?) for (Nice plots in Birner 2011)
-
Mesopheric Circulation driven by gravity waves that can excert a westward and eastward GWD resulting in a pole-to-pole (residual?) circulation. Different forcing in stratopshere/mesosphere due to PNJ developing only on winter hemisphere (different filter for upward propagating GWs) - check additional literature
-
What about meridional circulations in upper atmosphere (thermosphere)?
