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A study of the major stratospheric warming of 1976/77
Author(s) -
O'neill A.,
Taylor B. F.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.49710544306
Subject(s) - stratosphere , troposphere , zonal flow (plasma) , atmospheric sciences , climatology , sudden stratospheric warming , momentum (technical analysis) , environmental science , latitude , amplitude , atmospheric wave , geology , gravity wave , physics , wave propagation , polar vortex , plasma , finance , quantum mechanics , tokamak , geodesy , economics
The unusual atmospheric behaviour observed at middle and high latitudes during the winter of 1976/77 is discussed in both synoptic and dynamical terms, using routine, objectively analysed data. During this period the growth of large amplitude, planetary‐scale waves in the troposphere resulted in a marked wave growth in the stratosphere. A qualitative discussion of the interaction between these waves and the zonal flow is followed by referring to the temporal evolution of the relevant terms in the zonally averaged momentum and heat equations. It is shown that the export of momentum from high latitudes by the waves was crucial in effecting a zonal wind reversal in both troposphere and stratosphere. The importance of this mechanism during the period of study indicates the need for a revision of the currently favoured dynamical model of the stratospheric sudden warming.