Sylvain Mailler

Impact of Subgrid-Scale Orography on Equatorial Angular Momentum Budget and the Cold Surges in a General Circulation Model

AbstractThe dynamical relations between equatorial atmospheric angular momentum (EAAM), equatorial mountain torques, and cold surges are analyzed in a general circulation model (GCM). First, the authors show that the global EAAM budget is well closed in the GCM, much better than in the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis. They then confirm that the equatorial torques due to the Tibetan Plateau, the Rockies, and the Andes are well related to the cold surges developing over East Asia, North America, and South America, respectively. For all these mountains, a peak in the equatorial mountain torque components precedes by few days the development of a cold surge, confirming that the cold surge’s “preconditioning” is dynamically driven by large-scale mountains.The authors also analyze the contribution of the subgrid-scale orography (SSO) parameterizations and find that they contribute substantially to the torques. In experiments where these parameterizations are almost entirely reduced over a given massif, the authors find th...

Interactions aérosols-rayonnement-climat en région méditerranéenne : Impact de l'effet radiatif direct sur le cycle de l'eau

An experimental campaign, coupled with three-dimensional modeling, was conducted in the western Mediterranean during the summer of 2013 to study the impact of aerosols on the radiative balance and climate of this region. In situ observations were obtained on the ground, aboard two research aircraft and balloons to characterize the physico-chemical and optical properties of particles and their vertical stratification. This campaign was mainly characterized by moderate events of desert aerosols. During these episodes, strong vertical stratification was observed and the measurements of the optical properties reveal moderate absorbing particles in the visible spectrum. Climate simulations indicate a significant impact of aerosols in particular by changing the surface temperature of the sea, the ocean-atmosphere fluxes and consequently seasonal precipitation.