Oscillations in the Winter Stratosphere: Part 2. The Role of Horizontal Eddy Heat Transport and the Interaction of Transient and Stationary Planetary-Scale Waves

Abstract

An examination of 30 mb data from eight winter seasons reveals that out-of-phase temperature oscillations occur regularly on either side of 60°N. The typical time scale of these oscillations is 1?3 weeks. Evidence is presented indicating that these out-of-phase oscillations occur because fluctuations in horizontal eddy heat transport across 60°N are a dominant mechanism controlling zonal mean temperature variations in this period range. The interaction between quasi-stationary and transient planetary-scale waves is shown to be capable of producing a large fraction of these fluctuations in eddy transport.