Articles | Volume 5, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-559-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-5-559-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
22 Apr 2024
Research article |
| 22 Apr 2024
| 22 Apr 2024
How heating tracers drive self-lofting long-lived stratospheric anticyclones: simple dynamical models
Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0WA, UK
Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
Peter H. Haynes
Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB3 0WA, UK
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Short summary
Long-lived rising bubbles of wildfire smoke or volcanic aerosol contained within strong vortices have been observed in the stratosphere. Heating through absorption of solar radiation has been hypothesised as driving these structures. We present simple models incorporating two-way interaction between dynamics and aerosol combined with insight from vortex dynamics to explain aspects of observed behaviours, including ascent rate and vorticity magnitude, and to suggest criteria for formation.
Long-lived rising bubbles of wildfire smoke or volcanic aerosol contained within strong vortices...
