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Atmospheric circulation: Exploration over Antarctica and seasonal variations
Author(s) -
Singh Sehra Parmjit
Publication year - 1976
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/gl003i011p00669
Subject(s) - climatology , altitude (triangle) , westerlies , atmospheric circulation , atmospheric sciences , polar night , geology , prevailing winds , jet stream , wind speed , global wind patterns , environmental science , oceanography , jet (fluid) , stratosphere , geometry , physics , mathematics , thermodynamics
Seasonal wind variations over Antarctica in an altitude region from surface up to about 80 km are studied using data from 52 successful M‐100 meteorological rocket soundings at Molodezhnaya, Antarctica where the author worked during 1971‐73. It is found that the South Polar summer was characterised by light easterly winds increasing in strength with altitude and the winter exhibited strong westerly winds halving jet speeds of about 90 m/s increasing in strength as the season progressed, while the autumn and the spring were the wind reversal periods. The Antarctic winter regime was the most active period with a wind persistence of about 95% marked by strong westerly flow. Departures of the actual zonal winds from the Groves Model were found to be quite significant showing hemispheric asymmerties in the Northern and the Southern Hemispheres. The physical properties of the immense southern oceans play an important role in these differences.