Equatorial Kelvin waves at 100 millibars

A marked oscillation with a periodicity slightly greater than a month occurred in the zonal wind at 100 mb over Gan (00°41′S, 73°09′E) through the months January to May 1966. Corresponding oscillations took place during this period over other equatorial stations round the globe, but on the whole the oscillations became weaker with increasing latitude. The meridional wind was not directly involved in the oscillations, which were manifestations of a wave which generally progressed eastward relative both to the earth and to the mean flow with, however, a somewhat irregular rate of progression. The wave had zonal global wave number 1. Although it also advanced southward over the eastern hemisphere, it was not far from being symmetrical (as opposed to antisymmetrical) about the Equator. It was largely confined to the region between 150 mb and 70 mb, but it generally propagated downwards, Over the eastern hemisphere the 100 mb temperature tended to lead the 100 mb zonal wind by about 1/4 cycle. At least over Gan the 100 mb height and the 100 mb zonal wind tended to be in phase. The effect as a whole was sufficiently like an equatorial Kelvin wave to be considered as such. especially over the eastern hemisphere. The wave was linked very indirectly to concurrent events at 100 mb at 40°N. Less marked equatorial Kelvin waves occurred at 100 mb in 1960, 1967 and 1969. The incidence of equatorial Kelvin waves at 100 mb did not appear to be closely related to the phase at 50 mb of the tropical quasi‐biennial zonal wind oscillation.