Dynamics of the Intertropical Convergence Zone of the East Pacific

The dynamical factors controlling the mean state and variability of the east Pacific intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and the associated cross-equatorial boundary layer flow are investigated using observations from the East Pacific Investigation of Climate (EPIC2001) project. The tropical east Pacific exhibits a southerly boundary layer flow that terminates in the ITCZ. This flow is induced by the strong meridional sea surface temperature (SST) gradient in the region. Away from the equator and from deep convection, it is reasonably well described on a day-to-day basis by an extended Ekman balance model. Variability in the strength and northward extent of this flow is caused by variations in free-tropospheric pressure gradients that either reinforce or oppose the pressure gradient associated with the SST gradient. These free-tropospheric gradients are caused by easterly waves, tropical cyclones, and the Madden–Julian oscillation. Convergence in the boundary layer flow is often assumed to be responsible for destabilizing the atmosphere to deep convection. An alternative hypothesis is that enhanced total surface heat fluxes associated with high SSTs and strong winds act to produce the necessary destabilization. Analysis of the moist entropy budget of the planetary boundary layer shows that, on average, surface fluxes generate over twice the destabilization produced by boundary layer convergence in the east Pacific ITCZ.