Identification

Title

Role of tropical lower stratosphere winds in quasi-biennial oscillation disruptions

Abstract

In 2016, the westerly quasi-biennial oscillation (WQBO) in the equatorial stratosphere was unprecedentedly disrupted by westward forcing near 40 hPa; this was followed by another disruption in 2020. Strong extratropical Rossby waves propagating toward the tropics were considered the main cause of the disruptions, but why the zonal wind is reversed only in the middle of the WQBO remains unclear. Here, we show that strong westerly winds in the equatorial lower stratosphere (70 to 100 hPa) help to disrupt the WQBO by hindering the wind reversal at its base. They also help equatorial westward waves propagate further upward, increasing the negative forcing at around 40 hPa that drives the QBO disruptions. Tropical westerly winds have been increasing in the past and are projected to increase in a warmer climate. These background wind changes may allow more frequent QBO disruptions in the future, leading to less predictability in atmospheric weather and climate systems.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7fx7f7n

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2022-07-06T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact