Some Experiments on the Use of Tropical Diabatic Heating Information for Initial State Specification

Abstract

The local response to tropical diabatic heating is studied by using diabatic normal mode initialization procedures. It is shown that diabatic initialization is able to produce a well-balanced state in regions of heating provided the appropriate vertical modes are initialized. However, the persistence of balance during model integrations is strongly dependent on the compatibility between the specified heating during initialization and the heating during the model integration. Finally, a procedure is developed in which cloud-top temperature data is used to identify regions of deep convection where heating rates are specified during initialization. Although the procedure provides a means of combining the analysis of the divergent wind field and initialization, a number of problems remain, namely the specification of the intensity and vertical profiles of the heating rates.