A parameterization of large-scale heat transport in mid-latitudes. Part I. Transient eddies

Abstract

The heat transport by large-scale transient eddies in mid-latitudes is formulated in terms of the basic external parameters—primarily the horizontal temperature gradient, the vertical static stability, and Rossby's radius of deformation. A mid-latitude baroclinic instability combined with a geostrophic turbulence model is the basis for the parameterization, whereby the wind variance both in the horizontal and vertical planes is computed. The result of heat flux computation agrees both with the earlier results of Stone (1974), and observations with reasonable accuracy.