Nonlinear latitudinal transfer of wave activity in the winter stratosphere
Abstract
The transfer of wave activity between wave guides separated in latitude by a surf zone region of zero potential vorticity gradient is investigated in a simple model of the winter stratosphere and its extension into the Tropics. The distinction from classical wave propagation on a slowly varying background state is illustrated in a conceptual model in which latitudinal separation is reduced locally by wave disturbances of finite amplitude, implying a nonlinear dependence of the transfer on wave amplitude and a nonlinear transfer of wave activity to higher zonal wavenumbers. The response of a topographically forced vortex in the presence of different forms of tropical circulation, comprising either uniform or vertically localized anomalies, is examined numerically, using an exact pseudomomentum‐based wave activity to diagnose separately the vortex and tropical wave responses. Changes to the zonal mean flow in the Tropics are related in a natural way to the potential vorticity structure of the background state and the associated wave guides, which also control the general character of tracer mixing across and out of the Tropics.
Citation
Scott , R K 2019 , ' Nonlinear latitudinal transfer of wave activity in the winter stratosphere ' , Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society , vol. Early View . https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3536
Publication
Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
0035-9009Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © 2019 Royal Meteorological. This work has been made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created, accepted version manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.3536
Description
Partial support for this work was provided through the National Science Foundation award AGS-1333029.Collections
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