A Systematic Local View of the Long-Term Changes of the Atmospheric Energy Cycle

Abstract The global climatology and long-term changes in the atmospheric energy cycle in the boreal winter are analyzed using a local available potential energy framework using the fifth-generation ECMWF reanalysis data during 1979–2021. In contrast to the classic Lorenz energy cycle, this local framework provides the local information of available potential energy (APE) and its interactions with kinetic energy (KE), allowing the systematic study of barotropic and baroclinic processes. A further systematic decomposition of the APE and KE reservoirs into high- and low-frequency components is conducted to investigate the source and sink terms that account for their spatial variations and long-term changes. The climatology of the local energetic budget terms shows that the interplay between low-frequency APE and KE is mostly over the tropical and polar regions associated with the thermally direct circulation there. Interactions involving high-frequency components are mainly located in the storm-track regions. We show that under recent global warming, a prominent dipolar trend of changes is present over the Asia–Pacific region for all energy forms. The long-term changes in the energy budget reveal how high-frequency APE intensification is due to a stronger conversion from low-frequency APE upstream of the storm track and that this intensification can be compensated by eddy advection away from the storm track, rather than conversion to kinetic energy in the proximity of the mean jet. This provides evidence that a warmer climate substantially affects the energy cycle and, thus, the atmospheric circulation. Significance Statement Potential and kinetic energies are major components of atmospheric circulation. Those energies and their generation, dissipation, and conversions provide insight into the dynamics of atmospheric circulation. The Lorenz energy cycle, based on a global framework, has been fundamental in deepening our understanding of the atmosphere. However, here we use a systematic local framework to gain a better understanding of atmospheric circulation changes and how global warming has affected them. Our study finds a general intensification of the local energy cycle over the last few decades.