Idealized Numerical Modeling of the Diurnal Cycle of Tropical Cyclones

A numerical experiment is performed to evaluate the role of the daily cycle of radiation on axisymmetric hurricane structure. Although a diurnal response in high cloudiness has been well documented previously, the link to tropical cyclone (TC) structure and intensity remains unknown. Previous modeling studies attributed differences in results to experimental setup (e.g., initial and boundary conditions) as well as to radiative parameterizations. Here, a numerically simulated TC in a statistically steady state is examined for 300 days to quantify the TC response to the daily cycle of radiation. Fourier analysis in time reveals a spatially coherent diurnal signal in the temperature, wind, and latent heating tendency fields. This signal is statistically different from random noise and accounts for up to 62% of the variance in the TC outflow and 28% of the variance in the boundary layer. Composite analysis of each hour of the day reveals a cycle in storm intensity: a maximum is found in the morning and a minimum in the evening, with magnitudes near 1ms(-1). Anomalous latent heating forms near the inner core of the storm in the late evening, which persists throughout the early morning. Examination of the radial-vertical wind suggests two distinct circulations: 1) a radiatively driven circulation in the outflow layer due to absorption of solar radiation and 2) a convectively driven circulation in the lower and middle troposphere due to anomalous latent heating. These responses are coupled and are periodic with respect to the diurnal cycle.