Atmospheric superrotation in warm Earth-like climates
Rodrigo Caballero
(Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University)
| When |
Apr 17, 2018
from 11:00 to 12:00 |
|---|---|
| Where | room 116 |
| Attendees |
Rodrigo Caballero |
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Atmospheric superrotation—a state in which zonal-mean winds have greater angular momentum than the equatorial value under solid-body rotation—is an observed feature of several planets in the solar system. Earth’s atmosphere does not superrotate under current conditions, but some climate models show a spontaneous transition to superrotation under warm climate conditions such as prevailed in Earth’s deep past. I will discuss the mechanisms responsible for this transition. I will also discuss the possibility that superrotation may occur at the Earth’s surface, yielding surface westerly winds at the equator and a major reorganization of the tropical climate.