A moist static energy (MSE) framework for zonal-mean storm-track intensity, defined as the extremum of zonal-mean transient eddy MSE flux, is derived and applied across a range of time scales. According to the framework, storm-track intensity can be decomposed into contributions from net energy input [sum of shortwave absorption and surface heat fluxes into the atmosphere minus outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) and atmospheric storage] integrated poleward of the storm-track position and MSE flux by the mean meridional circulation or stationary eddies at the storm-track position. The framework predicts storm-track decay in spring and amplification in fall in response to seasonal insolation. When applied diagnostically the framework shows shortwave absorption and land turbulent surface heat fluxes account for the seasonal evolution of Northern Hemisphere (NH) intensity; however, they are partially compensated by OLR (Planck feedback) and stationary eddy MSE flux. The negligible amplitude of Southern Hemisphere (SH) seasonal intensity is consistent with the compensation of shortwave absorption by OLR and oceanic turbulent surface heat fluxes (ocean energy storage). On interannual time scales, El Niño minus La Niña conditions amplify the NH storm track, consistent with decreased subtropical stationary eddy MSE flux. Finally, on centennial time scales, the CO2 indirect effect (sea surface temperature warming) amplifies the NH summertime storm track whereas the direct effect (increased CO2 over land) weakens it, consistent with opposing turbulent surface heat flux responses over land and ocean.

Storm tracks shift meridionally in response to forcing across a range of time scales. Here the authors formulate a moist static energy (MSE) framework for storm-track position and use it to understand storm-track shifts in response to seasonal insolation, El Niño minus La Niña conditions, and direct (increased CO2 over land) and indirect (increased sea surface temperature) effects of increased CO2. Two methods (linearized Taylor series and imposed MSE flux divergence) are developed to quantify storm-track shifts and decompose them into contributions from net energy (MSE input to the atmosphere minus atmospheric storage) and MSE flux divergence by the mean meridional circulation and stationary eddies. Net energy is not a dominant contribution across the time scales considered. The stationary eddy contribution dominates the storm-track shift in response to seasonal insolation, El Niño minus La Niña conditions, and CO2 direct effect in the Northern Hemisphere, whereas the mean meridional circulation contribution dominates the shift in response to CO2 indirect effect during northern winter and in the Southern Hemisphere during May and October. Overall, the MSE framework shows the seasonal storm-track shift in the Northern Hemisphere is connected to the stationary eddy MSE flux evolution. Furthermore, the equatorward storm-track shift during northern winter in response to El Niño minus La Niña conditions involves a different regime than the poleward shift in response to increased CO2 even though the tropical upper troposphere warms in both cases.

Recently Nakamura and Huang proposed a semiempirical, one-dimensional model of atmospheric blocking based on the observed budget of local wave activity in the boreal winter. The model dynamics is akin to that of traffic flow, wherein blocking manifests as traffic jams when the streamwise flux of local wave activity reaches capacity. Stationary waves modulate the jet stream’s capacity to transmit transient waves and thereby localize block formation. Since the model is inexpensive to run numerically, it is suited for computing blocking statistics as a function of climate variables from large-ensemble, parameter sweep experiments. We explore sensitivity of blocking statistics to (i) stationary wave amplitude, (ii) background jet speed, and (iii) transient eddy forcing, using frequency, persistence, and prevalence as metrics. For each combination of parameters we perform 240 runs of 180-day simulations with aperiodic transient eddy forcing, each time randomizing the phase relations in forcing. The model climate shifts rapidly from a block-free state to a block-dominant state as the stationary wave amplitude is increased and/or the jet speed is decreased. When eddy forcing is increased, prevalence increases similarly but frequency decreases as blocks merge and become more persistent. It is argued that the present-day climate lies close to the boundary of the two states and hence its blocking statistics are sensitive to climate perturbations. The result underscores the low confidence in GCM-based assessment of the future trend of blocking under a changing climate, while it also provides a theoretical basis for evaluating model biases and understanding trends in reanalysis data.

The observed zonal-mean extratropical storm tracks exhibit distinct hemispheric seasonality. Previously, the moist static energy (MSE) framework was used diagnostically to show that shortwave absorption (insolation) dominates seasonality but surface heat fluxes damp seasonality in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) and amplify it in the Northern Hemisphere (NH). Here we establish the causal role of surface fluxes (ocean energy storage) by varying the mixed layer depth d in zonally symmetric 1) slab-ocean aquaplanet simulations with zero ocean energy transport and 2) energy balance model (EBM) simulations. Using a scaling analysis we define a critical mixed layer depth dc and hypothesize 1) large mixed layer depths (d > dc) produce surface heat fluxes that are out of phase with shortwave absorption resulting in small storm track seasonality and 2) small mixed layer depths (d < dc) produce surface heat fluxes that are in phase with shortwave absorption resulting in large storm track seasonality. The aquaplanet simulations confirm the large mixed layer depth hypothesis and yield a useful idealization of the SH storm track. However, the small mixed layer depth hypothesis fails to account for the large contribution of the Ferrel cell and atmospheric storage. The small mixed layer limit does not yield a useful idealization of the NH storm track because the seasonality of the Ferrel cell contribution is opposite to the stationary eddy contribution in the NH. Varying the mixed layer depth in an EBM qualitatively supports the aquaplanet results.

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