EDDY FORCED MEAN MERIDIONAL CIRCULATION

The atmospheric mean meridional circulation is diagnostically evaluate d from the annual mean data by Oort and Rasmusson (1971). Starting fro m the primitive equations, assuming small errors in the data set and u sing a variational method, two independent second-order equations for the mean meridional circulation are derived, one from the vorticity ba lance and the other from the thermodynamic balance. By assuming unifor m errors, and taking into account only the horizontal component of the eddy fluxes of heat, momentum and geopotential, the mean meridional c irculation is computed and the results of the different methods are th en compared.