Distinct Upward Propagation of the Westerly QBO in Winter 2015/16 and Its Relationship With Brewer-Dobson Circulation

Article Multidisciplinary Sciences

Role of tropical lower stratosphere winds in quasi-biennial oscillation disruptions

Min-Jee Kang et al.

Summary: A study has found that strong westerly winds in the equatorial lower stratosphere have a disruptive effect on the WQBO by hindering the wind reversal at its base. These wind changes may lead to more frequent QBO disruptions in the future, resulting in reduced predictability in atmospheric weather and climate systems.

SCIENCE ADVANCES (2022)

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Article Environmental Sciences

Contributions of equatorial waves and small-scale convective gravity waves to the 2019/20 quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) disruption

Min-Jee Kang et al.

Summary: The unexpected easterly winds in the downward-propagating westerly quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) phase in January 2020 marked the second QBO disruption in history, occurring 4 years after the first disruption in 2015/16. Equatorial waves and small-scale convective gravity waves were found to play key roles in the 2019/20 QBO disruption, with different wave forcings contributing at various stages. Increased convectively coupled equatorial wave activities and barotropic instability at QBO edges were identified as factors inducing QBO disruption in both 2015/16 and 2019/20 cases, with Rossby waves and mixed Rossby-gravity waves considered crucial in this process.

ATMOSPHERIC CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS (2021)

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Article Environmental Sciences