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Simulation of the stratospheric Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation using a general circulation model
Author(s) -
Takahashi Masaaki
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/95gl03413
Subject(s) - stratosphere , quasi biennial oscillation , oscillation (cell signaling) , troposphere , climatology , atmospheric sciences , general circulation model , environmental science , circulation (fluid dynamics) , atmospheric circulation , forcing (mathematics) , wavenumber , geology , physics , climate change , mechanics , chemistry , biochemistry , oceanography , optics
The quasi‐biennial oscillation is fairly well simulated by use of a T21 60‐layer general circulation model with moist convective adjustment. The model is the first version of the Center for Climate System Research/National Institute for Environmental Studies (CCSR/NIES) general circulation model. The vertical resolution is approximately 500m in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. The damping time for the maximum wavenumber in the fourth‐order horizontal diffusion is 20 days, being about one‐order of magnitude less than that in standard general circulation models. The period of the oscillation is 1.5 years, which is slightly shorter than that of the observed quasi‐biennial oscillation. The simulated oscillation occurs in the middle stratosphere, being slightly higher than that observed in the equatorial lower stratosphere. The amplitude of the zonal‐wind associated with the oscillation is 20 ms −1 which is comparable to the observed value.