Climatology of Clear-Air Turbulence in Upper Troposphere and Lower
Stratosphere in the Northern Hemisphere using ERA5 reanalysis data
Abstract
Spatial and temporal distributions of Clear-Air Turbulence (CAT) in the
Northern Hemisphere were investigated using 41 years (1979 – 2019) of
the European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecast Reanalysis version
5 (ERA5) data. We used two groups of CAT diagnostics to determine
occurrence frequencies: 1) commonly used empirical turbulence indices
(TI1, TI2, and TI3) and their components [vertical wind shear (VWS),
deformation, divergence, and divergence tendency], and 2) theoretical
instability indicators Richardson number (Ri), potential vorticity (PV),
and Brunt-Vӓisӓlӓ frequency. The empirical indices showed high
frequencies of MOG-level CAT potential over the East Asian, Eastern
Pacific, and Northwest Atlantic regions in winter. Over East Asia, the
entrance region of the strong upper-level jets, showed the highest
frequencies in TI1, TI2, and TI3 mainly due to strong VWS. The Eastern
Pacific and Northwestern Atlantic areas near the exit region of the jet
had relatively high frequencies of these and also Ri. PV frequency was
high on the southern side of the jet primarily due to negative relative
vorticity. Long-term increasing trends of MOG-level CAT potential also
appeared in those three regions mainly due to the warming in lower
latitudes. The most significant increasing trend was found over East
Asia, due to the strengthening of the East Asian jet and VWS due to the
strong meridional temperature gradients in the mid-troposphere induced
by warming in the tropics and cooling in eastern Eurasia. These trends
over East Asia are expected to be of importance to efficient aviation
operations across the northwestern Pacific Ocean.