Equatorial Superrotation and Barotropic Instability: Static Stability Variants

Abstract

Altering the tropospheric static stability changes the nature of the equatorial superrotation associated with unstable, low-latitude, westerly jets, according to calculations with a dry, global, multilevel, spectral, primitive equation model subject to a simple Newtonian heating function. For a low static stability, the superrotation fluxes with the simplest structure occur when the stratospheric extent and horizontal diffusion are minimal. Barotropic instability occurs on the jet's equatorward flank and baroclinic instability occurs on the jet's poleward flank. Systems with a high static stability inhibit the baroclinic instability and thereby reveal more clearly that the barotropic instability is the primary process driving the equatorial superrotation. Such systems produce a flatter equatorial jet and also take much longer to equilibrate than the standard atmospheric circulation.