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AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Keywords

  • Hadley
  • dynamics
  • moisture

Index Terms

  • Global Change: Atmosphere
  • Global Change: Global climate models
  • Atmospheric Processes: General circulation

Abstract

Width of the Hadley cell in simple and comprehensive general circulation models

Dargan M. W. Frierson

Department of Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Jian Lu

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA

Gang Chen

Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Program, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA

The width of the Hadley cell is studied over a wide range of climate regimes using both simple and comprehensive atmospheric general circulation models. Aquaplanet, fixed sea surface temperature lower boundary conditions are used in both models to study the response of the Hadley cell width to changes in both global mean temperature and pole-to-equator temperature gradient. The primary sensitivity of both models is a large expansion of the Hadley cell with increased mean temperature. The models also exhibit a smaller increase in width with temperature gradient. The Hadley cell widths agree well with a scaling theory by Held which assumes that the width is determined by the latitude where baroclinic eddies begin to occur. As surface temperatures are warmed, the latitude of baroclinic instability onset is shifted poleward due to increases in the static stability of the subtropics, which is increased in an atmosphere with higher moisture content.

Received 24 June 2007; accepted 17 August 2007; published 19 September 2007.

Citation: Frierson, D. M. W., J. Lu, and G. Chen (2007), Width of the Hadley cell in simple and comprehensive general circulation models, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L18804, doi:10.1029/2007GL031115.

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