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Modeling Residual Meridional Circulation at Different Phases of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation

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Abstract

The sensitivity of the residual meridional circulation (RMC) in the middle and upper atmosphere to the phase change of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) of the low-latitude zonal wind in the stratosphere has been studied. Wind and temperature data obtained from a nonlinear numerical model of general circulation of the middle and upper atmosphere (MUAM) have been used to calculate the RMC. For the first time, statistically significant results have been obtained illustrating the change in wave-induced eddy flows in the extratropical strato–mesosphere at different QBO phases. Specifically, a general weakening of the eddy circulation in the Northern Hemisphere at the westerly QBO phase has been demonstrated, with the exception of the region located at midlatitudes in the altitude range of 50–60 km. The study of the RMC sensitivity to changes in QBO phases helps better understand the features of the dynamic interaction between tropical and extratropical latitudes, as well as different atmospheric layers that affect the circulation transport and mixing of long-lived atmospheric components.

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Funding

The simulations of general circulation, statistical processing of data ensembles, and calculation of meridional circulation were supported by the Russian Science Foundation, project no. 20-77-10006. The OGW parametrization in the MUAM model was upgraded in the Laboratory of Ozone Layer and Upper Atmosphere Research of the St. Petersburg State University and supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, contract no. 075-15-2021-583.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Atmospheric Physics, St. Petersburg State University, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia

    A. V. Koval, N. M. Gavrilov, A. I. Pogoreltsev & M. M. Efimov

  2. Department of Meteorological Forecasts, Russian State Hydrometeorological University, 192007, St. Petersburg, Russia

    A. V. Koval & A. I. Pogoreltsev

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  1. A. V. Koval
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  2. N. M. Gavrilov
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  3. A. I. Pogoreltsev
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  4. M. M. Efimov
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Correspondence to A. V. Koval, N. M. Gavrilov or A. I. Pogoreltsev.

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Translated by V. Arutyunyan

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Koval, A.V., Gavrilov, N.M., Pogoreltsev, A.I. et al. Modeling Residual Meridional Circulation at Different Phases of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation. Izv. Atmos. Ocean. Phys. 58, 22–29 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0001433822010054

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