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Zonal wind components in the stratosphere and troposphere over India
Author(s) -
Reddy C. A.,
Reddi C. Raghava,
Mohankumar K. G.
Publication year - 1986
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.49711247313
Subject(s) - stratosphere , quasi biennial oscillation , atmospheric sciences , oscillation (cell signaling) , amplitude , troposphere , altitude (triangle) , environmental science , climatology , rocket (weapon) , momentum (technical analysis) , zonal flow (plasma) , mesosphere , physics , geology , geography , geometry , mathematics , archaeology , quantum mechanics , biology , genetics , plasma , finance , economics , tokamak
Using rocket and balloon data for 1979 and 1980, the stratospheric and tropospheric zonal wind components are quantified for three rocket ranges in India: (a) Thumba (8.5°N 76.9°E); (b) Sriharikota (13.7°N 80.2°E); and (c) Balasore (21.5°N 86.9°E). Values of the mean zonal wind and the amplitudes and phases of the quasibiennial oscillation (QBO), the annual oscillation (AO), and the semi‐annual oscillation (SAO) in the altitude range 2–60 km are presented. By subtracting the combined contribution of these long‐period components from the measured winds, the shorter‐period fluctuations of zonal wind, attributable to wave disturbances, are obtained. These fluctuations show a significant decrease in amplitude in the height region where the QBO is dominant, signifying a loss of wave momentum in that region. The fluctuations also indicate that some wave modes propagate into the mesosphere without significant attenuation. Significant inter‐annual variability in the AO and the SAO is present. The significance of the observational results is discussed in relation to earlier observations and current theoretical ideas.