Global well-posedness of $z$-weak solutions to the primitive equations without vertical diffusivity

In this paper, we consider the initial boundary value problem in a cylindrical domain to the three dimensional primitive equations with full eddy viscosity in the momentum equations but with only horizontal eddy diffusivity in the temperature equation. Global well-posedness of $z$-weak solution is established for any such initial datum that itself and its vertical derivative belong to $L^2$. This not only extends the results in \cite{Cao5} from the spatially periodic case to general cylindrical domains but also weakens the regularity assumptions on the initial data which are required to be $H^2$ there.