Three forms of atmospheric energy, i.e., internal, potential, and latent, are analyzed based on the historical simulations of 32 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5（CMIP5） models and two reanalysis datasets（NCEP/NCAR and ERA-40）. The spatial pattern of climatological mean atmospheric energy is well reproduced by all CMIP5 models. The variation of globally averaged atmospheric energy is similar to that of surface air temperature（SAT） for most models. The atmospheric energy from both simulation and reanalysis decreases following the volcanic eruption in low-latitude zones. Generally, the climatological mean of simulated atmospheric energy from most models is close to that obtained from NCEP/NCAR, while the simulated atmospheric energy trend is close to that obtained from ERA-40. Under a certain variation of SAT, the simulated global latent energy has the largest increase ratio, and the increase ratio of potential energy is the smallest.
The atmospheric latent energy and incoming energy fluxes of the atmosphere are analyzed here based on the historical simulations of nine coupled models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 （CMIP5） and two reanalysis datasets. The globally averaged atmospheric latent energy is found to be highly correlated with several types of energy flux, particularly the surface latent heat flux, atmosphere absorbed solar radiation flux, and surface net radiation flux. On the basis of these connections, a hydrological cycle controlled feedback （HCCF） is hypothesized. Through this feedback, the atmosphere absorbed solar radiation is enhanced and causes intensification of the surface latent heat flux when the atmospheric latent energy is abnormally strong. The representativeness of the HCCF during different periods and over different latitudinal zones is also discussed. Although such a feedback cannot be confirmed by reanalysis, it proves to be a common mechanism for all the models studied.
Although the residual layer has already been noted in the classical diurnal cycle of the atmospheric boundary layer, its effect on the development of the convective boundary layer has not been well studied. In this study, based on 3-hourly 20th century reanalysis data, the residual layer is considered as a common layer capping the convective boundary layer. It is identified dally by investigating the development of the convective boundary layer. The region of interest is bounded by （30^-60~N, 80^-120~E）, where a residual layer deeper than 2000 m has been reported using radiosondes. The lapse rate and wind shear within the residual layer are compared with the surface sensible heat flux by investigating their climatological means, interannual variations and daily variations. The lapse rate of the residual layer and the convective boundary layer depth correspond well in their seasonal variations and climatological mean patterns. On the interannual scale, the correlation coefficient between their regional averaged （40°-50°N, 90°-110°E） variations is higher than that between the surface sensible heat flux and convective boundary layer depth. On the daily scale, the correlation between the lapse rate and the convective boundary layer depth in most months is still statistically significant during 1970-2012. Therefore, we suggest that the existence of a deep neutral residual layer is crucial to the formation of a deep convective boundary layer near the Mongolian regions.
