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Sunspots, the QBO, and the stratospheric temperature in the north polar region
Author(s) -
Labitzke Karin
Publication year - 1987
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/gl014i005p00535
Subject(s) - sunspot , polar , polar vortex , climatology , atmospheric sciences , solar cycle , environmental science , quasi biennial oscillation , stratosphere , westerlies , geology , physics , astronomy , solar wind , quantum mechanics , magnetic field
There is an association between the polar stratospheric temperature in the northern winter and the solar cycle in the winters when the 50‐mb equatorial winds are westerly: The lower the sunspot number in such winters, the lower is the temperature. No major mid‐winter warmings occurred in these winters when the sunspot number was below about 100. There is no such relationship in the easterly phase of the QBO. In that phase the temperatures are generally higher than in the westerly phase, and major mid‐winter warmings occur regardless of the state of the solar cycle.