MAINTENANCE AND OSCILLATION MECHANISMS OF SUMMER TROPICAL UPPER-TROPOSPHERIC EASTERLIES

The mechanisms of the maintenance and oscillation of 1982 summer tropical 200-hPa mean easterly flow and extra-long waves are investigated in terms of the energy equations in wavenumber-frequency space. Calculation results show that the difference in heating between land and sea and the boundary effect serve as the main source of energy; frictional dissipation as the sink; the conversion of available potential energy into kinetic takes place dominantly in the waves of number 1-2; such transformation is accomplished in just a small amount in zonal mean flow and therefore can be ignored because of the value.In the interaction between wave and zonal mean flow, the latter loses its available potential and gains kinetic energy. The tropical easterly belt over 20°N-5°S is found barotropically stable and that over 10°N-5°S, unstable. The waves of number 2 and 1 manifest themselves a primary source and sink of kinetic energy, respectively, in the interplay between waves and between zonal mean flow and wave.