On Potential Vorticity and Transport in the Stratosphere

Abstract

An attempt is made to relate tracer transport in the stratosphere to the requirements of atmospheric dynamics. The relationships are illustrated by considering the observed transport and budget of potential vorticity in the Southern Hemisphere. Eddy potential vorticity transports generally occur in association with upward fluxes of energy by the pressure-interaction mechanism. During the period studied, these transports were associated with significant but not major changes in the zonal mean flow. The eddy tracer transports inferred from the potential vorticity transport are consistent with the transports necessary to account for the distribution of atmospheric ozone. Dynamical considerations suggest that mixing length formulations for the mass transport by planetary waves are not strictly valid.