Publication Abstracts

Holzer 2009

Holzer, M., 2009: The path density of interhemispheric surface-to-surface transport. Part I: Development of the diagnostic and illustration with an analytic model. J. Atmos. Sci., 66, 2159-2171, doi:10.1175/2009JAS2894.1.

A new path-density diagnostic for atmospheric surface-to-surface transport is formulated. The path density, η, gives the joint probability that air, whose last surface contact occurred on patch Ωi at time ti, will make its next surface contact with patch Ωf after a residence time τ ∈ (τ, τ+dτ) and that it can be found in d3r during its surface-to-surface journey. The dependence on τ allows the average surface-to-surface flow rate carried by the paths to be computed. A simple algorithm for using passive tracers to determine η is developed. A key advantage of the diagnostic is that it can be computed effciently without an adjoint model and using only a moderately large number of tracers. The nature of the path density is illustrated with a simple one-dimensional advection-diffusion model. In Part II of this study the path density diagnostic is applied to quantify interhemispheric transport through the troposphere and stratosphere.

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BibTeX Citation

@article{ho03400p,
  author={Holzer, M.},
  title={The path density of interhemispheric surface-to-surface transport. Part I: Development of the diagnostic and illustration with an analytic model},
  year={2009},
  journal={Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences},
  volume={66},
  pages={2159--2171},
  doi={10.1175/2009JAS2894.1},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - ho03400p
AU  - Holzer, M.
PY  - 2009
TI  - The path density of interhemispheric surface-to-surface transport. Part I: Development of the diagnostic and illustration with an analytic model
JA  - J. Atmos. Sci.
JO  - Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences
VL  - 66
SP  - 2159
EP  - 2171
DO  - 10.1175/2009JAS2894.1
ER  -

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