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Circumpolar vortex studies using MSU temperature data

dc.contributor.authorReasor, Paul D., author
dc.contributor.authorMontgomery, Michael T., author
dc.date.accessioned2022-05-05T20:27:22Z
dc.date.available2022-05-05T20:27:22Z
dc.date.issued1996-10
dc.descriptionOctober 1996.
dc.descriptionAlso issued as Paul D. Reasor's thesis (M.S.) -- Colorado State University, 1996.
dc.description.abstractIrreversible mixing associated with breaking planetary waves at the edge of the circumpolar vortex exerts a westward force on the atmosphere. The tendency of this wave forcing is to decelerate the polar right jet and warm the polar regions of the stratosphere. While the tendency is opposed by an induced Eulerian-mean circulation, it is observed that substantial reductions in jet strength and departures from radiative equilibrium still occur. In the steady-state limit the departures from radiative balance at any level may be accounted for by the total wave forcing above that level. The wave forcing, and hence vortex strength, varies from year to year in a biennial fashion, suggesting a link with the equatorially-confined quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) (Tung and Yang, 1994). These ideas will be explored in the context of a seasonal and interannual study of the austral circumpolar vortex using brightness temperature data from the Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU). Observations of the seasonal evolution of the vortex are presented along with direct and indirect evidence of wave forcing. A 50-mb vortex circulation index derived from the MSU is shown to qualitatively correlate with the phase of the QBO in some years. It is concluded, however, that the effects of wave forcing may be too weak in the lower stratosphere to consistently observe a QBO signal at high latitudes.
dc.description.sponsorshipSponsored by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmospheric (CIRA).
dc.format.mediumreports
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/234933
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relationCatalog record number (MMS ID): 991001235599703361
dc.relationQC852 .C6 no. 619
dc.relation.ispartofAtmospheric Science Papers (Blue Books)
dc.relation.ispartofAtmospheric science paper, no. 619
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subject.lcshPolar vortex
dc.subject.lcshRossby waves
dc.titleCircumpolar vortex studies using MSU temperature data
dc.typeText
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