EQUATIONS GOVERNING THE ENERGETICS OF THE LARGER SCALES OF ATMOSPHERIC TURBULENCE IN THE DOMAIN OF WAVE NUMBER

Abstract

By considering the Fourier analysis of the planetary field of motion in the atmosphere, it is possible to define “scales” of motion and to write equations which govern the behavior of these separate scales of motion. Specifically, equations for the rate of change of the kinetic and available potential energy of a disturbance of a given wave number are presented. Such equations, which include the effects of the generation and release of potential energy, friction, and the transfer of energy among the various scales of eddies and the mean flow, can serve as a basis for studying the day-to-day variations of the spectral distribution of kinetic energy and for computing the “steady-state” atmospheric energy cycle in the domain of wave number, with the use of daily hemispheric data.