Interannual variability of the 4-day wave and isentropic mixing inside the polar vortex in midwinter of the Southern Hemisphere upper stratosphere

2002 ◽  
Vol 107 (D24) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryo Mizuta
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Polar Vortex

scholarly journals Hemispheric ozone variability indices derived from satellite observations and as diagnostics for coupled chemistry-climate models

2006 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 5671-5709
Author(s):  
T. Erbertseder ◽  
V. Eyring ◽  
M. Bittner ◽  
M. Dameris ◽  
V. Grewe
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Total Ozone ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Model Simulation ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Satellite Observations ◽  
Ozone Hole ◽  
Wave Number

Abstract. Dynamics and chemistry of the lower and middle stratosphere are characterized by manifold processes on different scales in time and space. The total column density of ozone, measured by numerous instruments, can be used to trace the resulting variability. In particular, satellite-borne spectrometers allow global observation of the total ozone distribution with proven accuracy and high temporal and spatial resolution. In order to analyse the zonal and hemispherical ozone variability a spectral statistical Harmonic Analysis is applied to multi-year total ozone observations from the Total Ozone Monitoring Spectrometer (TOMS). As diagnostic variables we introduce the hemispheric ozone variability indices one and two. They are defined as the hemispheric means of the amplitudes of the zonal waves number one and two, respectively, as traced by the total ozone field. In order to demonstrate the capability of the diagnostic for intercomparison studies we apply the hemispheric ozone variability indices to evaluate total ozone fields of the coupled chemistry-climate model ECHAM4.L39(DLR)/CHEM (hereafter: E39/C) against satellite observations. Results of a multi-year model simulation representing ''2000" climate conditions with an updated version of E39/C and corresponding total ozone data of TOMS from 1996 to 2004 (Version 8.0) are used. It is quantified to what extent E39/C is able to reproduce the zonal and hemispherical large scale total ozone variations. The different representations of the hemispheric ozone variability indices are discussed. Summarizing the main differences of model and reference observations, we show that both indices, one and two, in E39/C are preferably too high in the Northern Hemisphere and preferably too low in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, where the coincidence is generally better, E39/C produces a too strong planetary wave one activity in winter and spring as well as a too high interannual variability. For the Southern Hemisphere we conclude that model and observations differ significantly during the ozone hole season. In October and November amplitudes of wave number one and two are underestimated. This explains that E39/C exhibits a too stable polar vortex and a too low interannual variability of the ozone hole. Further, a strong negative bias of wave number one amplitudes in the tropics and subtropics from October to December is identified, which may also contribute to the zonal-symmetric polar vortex. The lack of wave two variability in October and November leads to weak vortex elongation and eventually a too late final warming. Contrary, too high wave number two amplitudes in July and August indicate why the polar vortex is formed too late in season by E39/C. In general, the hemispheric ozone variability indices can be regarded as a simple and robust approach to quantify differences in total ozone variability on a monthly mean basis. Therefore, the diagnostic represents a core diagnostic for model intercomparisons within the CCM Validation Activity for WCRP's (World Climate Research Programme) SPARC (Stratospheric Processes and their Role in Climate) regarding stratospheric dynamics.

scholarly journals Interannual variability of precipitable water

1996 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 464-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. Kane
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Precipitable Water ◽  
Radiosonde Data ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Zonal Winds ◽  
Low Latitudes ◽  
Linear Trends

Abstract. The 12-month running means of the surface-to-500 mb precipitable water obtained from analysis of radiosonde data at seven selected locations showed three types of variability viz: (1) quasi-biennial oscillations; these were different in nature at different latitudes and also different from the QBO of the stratospheric tropical zonal winds; (2) decadal effects; these were prominent at middle and high latitudes and (3) linear trends; these were prominent at low latitudes, up trends in the Northern Hemisphere and downtrends in the Southern Hemisphere.

scholarly journals Reanalysis intercomparisons of stratospheric polar processing diagnostics

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (18) ◽  
pp. 13547-13579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary D. Lawrence ◽  
Gloria L. Manney ◽  
Krzysztof Wargan
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Climate Forecast ◽  
Forecast System ◽  
Climate Forecast System ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
Scientific Results ◽  
Environmental Prediction ◽  
Low Sensitivity

Abstract. We compare herein polar processing diagnostics derived from the four most recent “full-input” reanalysis datasets: the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Climate Forecast System Reanalysis/Climate Forecast System, version 2 (CFSR/CFSv2), the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim (ERA-Interim) reanalysis, the Japanese Meteorological Agency's 55-year (JRA-55) reanalysis, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2). We focus on diagnostics based on temperatures and potential vorticity (PV) in the lower-to-middle stratosphere that are related to formation of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs), chlorine activation, and the strength, size, and longevity of the stratospheric polar vortex. Polar minimum temperatures (Tmin) and the area of regions having temperatures below PSC formation thresholds (APSC) show large persistent differences between the reanalyses, especially in the Southern Hemisphere (SH), for years prior to 1999. Average absolute differences of the reanalyses from the reanalysis ensemble mean (REM) in Tmin are as large as 3 K at some levels in the SH (1.5 K in the Northern Hemisphere – NH), and absolute differences of reanalysis APSC from the REM up to 1.5 % of a hemisphere (0.75 % of a hemisphere in the NH). After 1999, the reanalyses converge toward better agreement in both hemispheres, dramatically so in the SH: average Tmin differences from the REM are generally less than 1 K in both hemispheres, and average APSC differences less than 0.3 % of a hemisphere. The comparisons of diagnostics based on isentropic PV for assessing polar vortex characteristics, including maximum PV gradients (MPVGs) and the area of the vortex in sunlight (or sunlit vortex area, SVA), show more complex behavior: SH MPVGs showed convergence toward better agreement with the REM after 1999, while NH MPVGs differences remained largely constant over time; differences in SVA remained relatively constant in both hemispheres. While the average differences from the REM are generally small for these vortex diagnostics, understanding such differences among the reanalyses is complicated by the need to use different methods to obtain vertically resolved PV for the different reanalyses. We also evaluated other winter season summary diagnostics, including the winter mean volume of air below PSC thresholds, and vortex decay dates. For the volume of air below PSC thresholds, the reanalyses generally agree best in the SH, where relatively small interannual variability has led to many winter seasons with similar polar processing potential and duration, and thus low sensitivity to differences in meteorological conditions among the reanalyses. In contrast, the large interannual variability of NH winters has given rise to many seasons with marginal conditions that are more sensitive to reanalysis differences. For vortex decay dates, larger differences are seen in the SH than in the NH; in general, the differences in decay dates among the reanalyses follow from persistent differences in their vortex areas. Our results indicate that the transition from the reanalyses assimilating Tiros Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) data to advanced TOVS and other data around 1998–2000 resulted in a profound improvement in the agreement of the temperature diagnostics presented (especially in the SH) and to a lesser extent the agreement of the vortex diagnostics. We present several recommendations for using reanalyses in polar processing studies, particularly related to the sensitivity to changes in data inputs and assimilation. Because of these sensitivities, we urge great caution for studies aiming to assess trends derived from reanalysis temperatures. We also argue that one of the best ways to assess the sensitivity of scientific results on polar processing is to use multiple reanalysis datasets.

scholarly journals Nonstationarity in Southern Hemisphere Climate Variability Associated with the Seasonal Breakdown of the Stratospheric Polar Vortex

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (18) ◽  
pp. 7125-7139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas J. Byrne ◽  
Theodore G. Shepherd ◽  
Tim Woollings ◽  
R. Alan Plumb
Keyword(s):  
Climate Variability ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Vortex Breakdown ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
Time Symmetry

Abstract Statistical models of climate generally regard climate variability as anomalies about a climatological seasonal cycle, which are treated as a stationary stochastic process plus a long-term seasonally dependent trend. However, the climate system has deterministic aspects apart from the climatological seasonal cycle and long-term trends, and the assumption of stationary statistics is only an approximation. The variability of the Southern Hemisphere zonal-mean circulation in the period encompassing late spring and summer is an important climate phenomenon and has been the subject of numerous studies. It is shown here, using reanalysis data, that this variability is rendered highly nonstationary by the organizing influence of the seasonal breakdown of the stratospheric polar vortex, which breaks time symmetry. It is argued that the zonal-mean tropospheric circulation variability during this period is best viewed as interannual variability in the transition between the springtime and summertime regimes induced by variability in the vortex breakdown. In particular, the apparent long-term poleward jet shift during the early-summer season can be more simply understood as a delay in the equatorward shift associated with this regime transition. The implications of such a perspective for various open questions are discussed.

scholarly journals Simulations of Global Hurricane Climatology, Interannual Variability, and Response to Global Warming Using a 50-km Resolution GCM

2009 ◽  
Vol 22 (24) ◽  
pp. 6653-6678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming Zhao ◽  
Isaac M. Held ◽  
Shian-Jiann Lin ◽  
Gabriel A. Vecchi
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Vertical Shear ◽  
Shallow Convection ◽  
Coupled Models ◽  
Lower Boundary Condition ◽  
Atlantic Hurricane ◽  
Sst Anomalies

Abstract A global atmospheric model with roughly 50-km horizontal grid spacing is used to simulate the interannual variability of tropical cyclones using observed sea surface temperatures (SSTs) as the lower boundary condition. The model’s convective parameterization is based on a closure for shallow convection, with much of the deep convection allowed to occur on resolved scales. Four realizations of the period 1981–2005 are generated. The correlation of yearly Atlantic hurricane counts with observations is greater than 0.8 when the model is averaged over the four realizations, supporting the view that the random part of this annual Atlantic hurricane frequency (the part not predictable given the SSTs) is relatively small (<2 hurricanes per year). Correlations with observations are lower in the east, west, and South Pacific (roughly 0.6, 0.5, and 0.3, respectively) and insignificant in the Indian Ocean. The model trends in Northern Hemisphere basin-wide frequency are consistent with the observed trends in the International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) database. The model generates an upward trend of hurricane frequency in the Atlantic and downward trends in the east and west Pacific over this time frame. The model produces a negative trend in the Southern Hemisphere that is larger than that in the IBTrACS. The same model is used to simulate the response to the SST anomalies generated by coupled models in the World Climate Research Program Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 3 (CMIP3) archive, using the late-twenty-first century in the A1B scenario. Results are presented for SST anomalies computed by averaging over 18 CMIP3 models and from individual realizations from 3 models. A modest reduction of global and Southern Hemisphere tropical cyclone frequency is obtained in each case, but the results in individual Northern Hemisphere basins differ among the models. The vertical shear in the Atlantic Main Development Region (MDR) and the difference between the MDR SST and the tropical mean SST are well correlated with the model’s Atlantic storm frequency, both for interannual variability and for the intermodel spread in global warming projections.

scholarly journals Interannual Variability of Stratospheric Final Warming in the Southern Hemisphere and its Tropospheric Origin

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-59
Author(s):  
Soichiro Hirano ◽  
Masashi Kohma ◽  
Kaoru Sato
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Reanalysis Data ◽  
Stationary Waves ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Wave Source ◽  
Barotropic Model ◽  
Stratospheric Final Warming ◽  
Zonal Wavenumber ◽  
Favorable Conditions

AbstractThe relation between interannual variability of stratospheric final warming (SFW) and tropospheric circulation in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) is explored using reanalysis data and a linear barotropic model. The analysis is focused on quasi-stationary waves with zonal wavenumber 1 (s = 1 QSWs; s is zonal wavenumber), which are the dominant component of the SH extratropical planetary waves.First, interannual variability of SFW is investigated in terms of amplitudes of stratospheric and tropospheric s = 1 QSWs, and wave transmission properties of the mean flow from the late austral winter to spring. Upward Eliassen–Palm flux due to s = 1 QSWs is larger from the stratosphere down to the middle troposphere in early-SFW years than late-SFW years. More favorable conditions for propagation of s = 1 stationary waves into the stratosphere are identified in early-SFW years. These results indicate that the amplification of tropospheric s = 1 QSWs and the favorable conditions for their propagation into the stratosphere lead to the amplification of stratospheric s = 1 QSWs, and hence earlier SFWs.Next, numerical calculations using a linear barotropic model are performed to explore how tropospheric s = 1 QSWs at high latitudes amplifies in early-SFW years. By using tropical Rossby wave source and horizontal winds in the reanalysis data as a source and background field, respectively, differences in s = 1 steady responses between early- and late-SFWs are examined at high latitudes. It is suggested that the larger amplitudes of tropospheric s = 1 QSWs in early-SFW years are attributed to differences in wave propagation characteristics associated with structure of the midlatitude jets in austral spring.

scholarly journals A meridional structure of static stability and ozone vertical gradient around the tropopause in the Southern Hemisphere extratropics

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 19175-19194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Tomikawa ◽  
T. Yamanouchi
Keyword(s):  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Inversion Layer ◽  
Polar Vortex ◽  
Vertical Gradient ◽  
Static Stability ◽  
Radiative Heating ◽  
Stratospheric Polar Vortex ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. An analysis of the static stability and ozone vertical gradient in the ozone tropopause based (OTB) coordinate is applied to the ozonesonde data at 10 stations in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) extratropics. The tropopause inversion layer (TIL) with a static stability maximum just above the tropopause shows similar seasonal variations at two Antarctic stations, which are latitudinally far from each other. Since the sunshine hour varies with time in a quite different way between these two stations, it implies that the radiative heating due to solar ultraviolet absorption of ozone does not contribute to the seasonal variation of the TIL. A meridional section of the static stability in the OTB coordinate shows that the static stability just above the tropopause has a large latitudinal gradient between 60° S and 70° S in austral winter because of the absence of the TIL over the Antarctic. It is accompanied by an increase of westerly shear with height above the tropopause, so that the polar-night jet is formed above this latitude region. This result suggests a close relationship between the absence of the TIL and the stratospheric polar vortex in the Antarctic winter. A vertical gradient of ozone mixing ratio, referred to as ozone vertical gradient, around the tropopause shows similar latitudinal and seasonal variations with the static stability in the SH extratropics. In a height region above the TIL, a small ozone vertical gradient in the midlatitudes associated with the Antarctic ozone hole is observed in a height region of the subvortex but not around the polar vortex. This is a clear evidence of active latitudinal mixing between the midlatitudes and subvortex.

scholarly journals The South Atlantic–South Indian Ocean Pattern: a Zonally Oriented Teleconnection along the Southern Hemisphere Westerly Jet in Austral Summer

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongda Lin
Keyword(s):  
Indian Ocean ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Austral Summer ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
The South ◽  
South Indian Ocean ◽  
Westerly Jet ◽  
South Indian ◽  
Zonal Wavenumber

Extratropical teleconnections significantly affect the climate in subtropical and mid-latitude regions. Understanding the variability of atmospheric teleconnection in the Southern Hemisphere, however, is still limited in contrast with the well-documented counterpart in the Northern Hemisphere. This study investigates the interannual variability of mid-latitude circulation in the Southern Hemisphere in austral summer based on the ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset during 1980–2016. A stationary mid-latitude teleconnection is revealed along the strong Southern Hemisphere westerly jet over the South Atlantic and South Indian Ocean (SAIO). The zonally oriented SAIO pattern represents the first EOF mode of interannual variability of meridional winds at 200 hPa over the region, with a vertical barotropic structure and a zonal wavenumber of 4. It significantly modulates interannual climate variations in the subtropical Southern Hemisphere in austral summer, especially the opposite change in rainfall and surface air temperature between Northwest and Southeast Australia. The SAIO pattern can be efficiently triggered by divergences over mid-latitude South America and the southwest South Atlantic, near the entrance of the westerly jet, which is probably related to the zonal shift of the South Atlantic Convergence Zone. The triggered wave train is then trapped within the Southern Hemisphere westerly jet waveguide and propagates eastward until it diverts northeastward towards Australia at the jet exit, in addition to portion of which curving equatorward at approximately 50° E towards the southwest Indian Ocean.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document