The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is a discontinuous, zonal precipitation band that plays a crucial role in the global hydrological cycle. Previous studies using prescribed sea surface temperature (SST) aquaplanets show the ITCZ is sensitive to convective mixing, but such a framework is energetically inconsistent. Studies also show that atmosphere‐ocean coupling reduces the sensitivity of the ITCZ to hemispherically asymmetric forcing. We investigate the effect of atmosphere‐ocean coupling on the sensitivity of the ITCZ to convective mixing using an idealized modeling framework with an Ekman‐driven ocean energy transport (OET). Coupling reduces the sensitivity of the ITCZ location to convective mixing due to SST changes. In prescribed‐SST simulations reducing convective mixing promotes a double ITCZ, while in coupled simulations, it increases the meridional SST gradient which promotes an equatorward ITCZ shift. Prescribing OET in additional experiments has a minimal effect on the sensitivity of the ITCZ location to mixing but does increase the sensitivity of the ITCZ intensity by constraining the net‐downward surface energy flux. Decreasing convective mixing increases net‐downward shortwave cloudy‐sky radiation associated with increased latent heat fluxes and an intensified ITCZ. For simulations analyzed the atmospheric energy input framework is inadequate to study ITCZ dynamics due to the contribution of transient eddies to the atmospheric energy transport. Prescribing SST or OET may strengthen the sensitivity of the ITCZ to a change in parameterization or atmospheric forcing. Future modeling studies investigating the precipitation response to such changes should be aware of the potential sensitivity of their results to atmosphere‐ocean interactions.

中文翻译：

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大气-海洋耦合对ITCZ对流混合敏感性的影响

热带辐合带（ITCZ）是一个不连续的区域性降水带，在全球水文循环中起着至关重要的作用。以前使用规定的海表温度（SST）滑水翼的研究表明，ITCZ对流混合很敏感，但是这种框架在能量上是不一致的。研究还表明，大气-海洋耦合降低了ITCZ对半球非对称强迫的敏感性。我们使用理想化的建模框架和埃克曼驱动的海洋能输运（OET），研究了大气-海洋耦合对ITCZ对流混合敏感性的影响。由于SST的变化，耦合降低了ITCZ位置对对流混合的敏感性。在规定的SST模拟中，减少对流混合会导致双重ITCZ，而在耦合模拟中，它增加了子午SST梯度，从而促进了赤道ITCZ偏移。在其他实验中规定OET对ITCZ位置对混合的敏感度影响最小，但通过限制净向下表面能通量确实增加了ITCZ强度的敏感度。对流混合的减少会增加与净潜流通量增加和ITCZ增强相关的净下行短波阴天辐射。对于仿真分析，由于瞬态涡流对大气能量传输的贡献，大气能量输入框架不足以研究ITCZ动力学。规定SST或OET可能会增强ITCZ对参数化或大气强迫变化的敏感性。