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Article: The Annual Cycle of the Axial Angular Momentum of the Atmosphere
- Article from:
- Journal of Climate
- Article date:
- March 15, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Meteorological Society Mar 15, 2005. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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ABSTRACT
Earlier analyses of the annual cycle of the axial angular momentum (AAM) are extended to include mass flows and vertical transports as observed, and to establish angular momentum budgets for various control volumes, using the European Centre for Medium-Range Forecasts (ECMWF) Re-Analyses (ERA) for the years 1979-92. transformed to height coordinates. In particular, the role of the torques is examined. The annual cycle of the zonally averaged angular momentum is large in the latitude belt 20° ≤ |φ| ≤ 45°. with little attenuation in the vertical up to a height of ~12 km. The oscillation of the mass term (AAM due to the earth's rotation) dominates in the lower ...