| he two-dimensional 5 year mean energy transport potential function, based on the Nimbus-7 ERB measurements, shows an east-west coupled dipole structure in which North Africa is the major energy sink and the western Pacific is the major energy source. In conjunction with the dipole, the cross-meridional transports are up to 30% of the tropical north-south transports. This is the main justification for the importance of the east-west energy transport. The separation of the required energy transport into oceanic and atmospheric components based on the maximum entropy production reveals that cross-meridional energy transports in the oceanic areas are mainly achieved by the ocean fluid.;Cloud-radiation feedback shows that cloud-induced longwave warming (cloud greenhouse influence) is dominant over the tropics whereas cloud-induced shortwave cooling (cloud albedo influence) is dominant in the mid- and high-latitudes. These differential distributions result in a global net cloud cooling effect of... |
