Articles | Volume 7, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/wcd-7-659-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-7-659-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
23 Apr 2026
Research article |
| 23 Apr 2026
| 23 Apr 2026
Relating extratropical atmospheric heat transport to cyclone life cycle characteristics and numbers in Southern Hemispheric winter
Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Alejandro Hermoso
Climate and Environmental Physics and Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Aaron Donohoe
Department of Atmospheric Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, US
Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Sebastian Schemm
Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Centre for Mathematical Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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The interactions between the dry and moist components of the atmosphere and the influence of, for example, the phase transition of water on the atmospheric circulation are often studied from the potential vorticity (PV) framework. Changes in the PV due to, for example, condensation can relate to changes in the static stability or vorticity. To better the interaction between these two drivers of PV changes, we explore the usefulness of a novel vorticity-and-stability diagram.
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Short summary
The transient moist static energy (MSE) flux dominates the poleward atmospheric heat transport in the Southern Hemisphere. In this study, we investigate how this transient MSE flux evolves over the life cycle of extratropical cyclones. By attributing transient MSE fluxes to nearby cyclones, we assess the contribution of individual cyclones to zonally integrated atmospheric heat transport and discuss the relationship between cyclone numbers and atmospheric heat transport on a seasonal scale.
The transient moist static energy (MSE) flux dominates the poleward atmospheric heat transport...
