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On the association between the recent episode of the quasi-biennial oscillation and the strong El Niño event

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Abstract

Since February 2016, the equatorial quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in zonal wind of the lower stratosphere exhibited anomalous behavior. In more detail, it broke down from its typical pattern and the eastward stratospheric winds unexpectedly reversed to a westward direction. We herewith attempt to detect whether this unprecedented event could be considered as a result of plausible long-range correlations in the QBO temporal evolution. The analyses performed using all the available QBO data sets showed that such an interpretation could not be inferred, because the temporal evolution of the equatorial zonal wind in the lower stratosphere does not exhibit power-law behavior. Further, the natural time analysis of the QBO data indicates precursory behavior before the maximization of the zonal wind velocity and that the recent strong El Niño event might be related with the aforementioned unprecedented behavior.

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Acknowledgements

The sources of the data used in this study are indicated in situ in the above-mentioned analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Climate Research Group, Section of Environmental Physics and Meteorology, Department of Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University Campus Bldg. Phys. V, 157 84, Athens, Greece

    Costas A. Varotsos & Maria Efstathiou

  2. Section of Solid State Physics, Department of Physics, School of Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis Zografou, 157 84, Athens, Greece

    Nikos V. Sarlis

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  1. Costas A. Varotsos
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  2. Nikos V. Sarlis
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Correspondence to Costas A. Varotsos.

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Varotsos, C.A., Sarlis, N.V. & Efstathiou, M. On the association between the recent episode of the quasi-biennial oscillation and the strong El Niño event. Theor Appl Climatol 133, 569–577 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-017-2191-9

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