Towards a More Earth-Like Circulation in Idealized Models
Idealized models are useful for the investigation of dynamical phenomena in which physical processes play a secondary role. Typically, such models employ highly idealized topography and zonally symmetric equilibrium temperatures as forcings. However, these simplifications are somewhat unrealistic and make these models unfit for investigations in which similarity with the real atmosphere is crucial. In this study, we present a new idealized model of the stratosphere-troposphere system which has a more Earth-like circulation than previous models. We accomplish this by introducing into the dry dynamical core of the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory realistic topography and equilibrium temperatures with zonal asymmetries. We then explore the model's sensitivity to the prescribed strength of the surface momentum drag. We find improvements in the model's circulation when validating against reanalysis. Most notably, the strength and structure of the winds, the spectrum of planetary waves, and the frequency of stratospheric sudden warming events are more realistic than in traditional idealized models. In the extratropics, the diagnosed diabatic forcing of the model also compares favorably against the observations. We further find that variations in the surface momentum damping exert an important control on the model's circulation, including the frequency of stratospheric sudden warming events. We believe that the new model reduces the gap between traditional idealized models and full models and that it is useful for the investigation of phenomena in which greater similarity with the real system is needed. The code for the new model and its equilibrium temperature data set is published on GitHub.