%0 Journal Article
%A Ern, M.
%A Preusse, P.
%T Quantification of the contribution of equatorial Kelvin waves to the QBO wind reversal in the stratosphere
%J Geophysical research letters
%V 36
%@ 0094-8276
%C Washington, DC
%I American Geophysical Union
%M PreJuSER-6488
%P L21801
%D 2009
%Z The work of M. Ern was supported by the European Commission (European Union's 6th framework program) within the EC Integrated Project SCOUT-O3 (505390-GOCE-CT-2004). We thank the whole SABER team, in particular M. G. Mlynczak, J. M. Russell III, and L. L. Gordley, for providing the excellent data set of SABER temperatures. Thanks also go to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) for providing the ECMWF operational analyses used. Helpful comments by two anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged.
%X Both global scale waves (e. g., Kelvin, equatorial Rossby, or Rossby-gravity waves) and mesoscale gravity waves contribute to the wind reversals of the quasi biennial oscillation (QBO). The relative contributions of the different wave types are highly uncertain. In our work we quantify the contribution of equatorial Kelvin waves to the reversal from stratospheric easterlies to westerlies averaged over two QBO cycles in the period 2002-2006. Our analysis is based on longitude-time spectra of temperatures measured by the SABER satellite instrument, as well as temperatures from ECMWF operational analyses. Kelvin waves of zonal wavenumber 1-6 and periods longer than 2.5 days are covered. It is found that the contribution of Kelvin waves is about 30-50% of the observed wind reversal and only 20-35% of the expected total wave forcing. The larger part of the wave forcing therefore has to be contributed by other waves, likely mesoscale gravity waves. Citation: Ern, M., and P. Preusse (2009), Quantification of the contribution of equatorial Kelvin waves to the QBO wind reversal in the stratosphere, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L21801, doi: 10.1029/2009GL040493.
%K J (WoSType)
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%U <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000271579300002
%R 10.1029/2009GL040493
%U https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/6488