Baroclinic flows and modelling of planetary atmospheres

Baroclinic waves are large-scale disturbances which play an important role in the transportation of heat and momentum in the dynamics of planetary atmospheres and oceans. Such waves can be studied systematically in the laboratory with e.g. thermally driven rotating annulus experiments. In addition numerical codes have been developed to simulate the general features of such planetary dynamics. Recent progress has been made in developing low-dimensional models from empirically-derived data, which reproduce, with some success, the key features observed in both the laboratory and in numerical models of baroclinic flows. It is now of great importance to build on the ground-work laid down in existing research and investigate a wider range of the more compilicated behaviours, possible in such fluid systems.

We are interested in building on the results of two existing DPhil studies into the use of empirically determined basis functions, calculated from time series of the velocity fields to generate low order nonlinear models of more complicated baroclinic flows. These include numerical models of the Martian atmosphere in which topographic features are included, as well as laboratory models of more complicated baroclinic flows.

Issues of predictability will also be addressed in a project involving the analy sis of the effects of parameterisation in climate models currently being used in the Ca sino-21 experiment, aimed at improving ensemble predictions of atmospheric processes. Collaboration with colleagues in Physics is envisaged. This project will be part of the e-science project on atmospheric prediction.

People working in this area within OCIAM are

• Dr Irene Moroz