Relationship and Mechanism Between Perturbation Potential Energy and Atmospheric General Circulation Anomalies

Abstract Based on previous theoretical studies for local perturbation potential energy (PPE), in this study, we further focus on the relationship and mechanism between the PPE and atmospheric general circulation anomalies, and analyze coupled correlation modes between the PPE and upper, middle and lower‐level atmospheric kinetic energy (AKE) and their interannual variability. Meanwhile, we also examine the relationship between the PPE and sea surface pressure as the measure of atmospheric mass and further discuss the physical mechanisms involved in the relationships between the PPE and the AKE as well as mass. Analysis results show that the first mode in the variability of the PPE is also the leading mode in the coupled variation of the PPE and atmospheric general circulation anomalies, and the corresponding primary modes in the AKE and mass fields are also the dominant modes in their own variability, which indicates a possible interrelated physical mechanism between them. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the formation of the prevailing mode of the extratropical atmospheric general circulation is closely associated with the feature that the PPE has both a zonal symmetry on global scale and zonal asymmetry on local scale. Moreover, there is a significant correlation between the first two orders of moments of the PPE and the southern/northern annular mode indices in the winter, but such a relationship is apparently weakened in the summer and exists in the southern hemisphere only.