Articles | Volume 24, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3297-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-3297-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
15 Mar 2024
Research article |
| 15 Mar 2024
| 15 Mar 2024
Crucial role of obliquely propagating gravity waves in the quasi-biennial oscillation dynamics
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
now at: Research Institute of Basic Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
Georg Sebastian Voelker
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Gergely Bölöni
Deutscher Wetterdienst, Offenbach, Germany
Günther Zängl
Deutscher Wetterdienst, Offenbach, Germany
Ulrich Achatz
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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Short summary
The quasi-biennial oscillation, which governs the tropical stratospheric circulation, is driven primarily by small-scale wave processes. We employ a novel method to realistically represent these wave processes in a global model, thereby revealing an aspect of the oscillation that has not been identified before. We find that the oblique propagation of waves, a process neglected by existing climate models, plays a pivotal role in the stratospheric circulation and its oscillation.
The quasi-biennial oscillation, which governs the tropical stratospheric circulation, is driven...
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