Gollan, Gereon and Greatbatch, Richard John (2015) Extratropical Influence of Upper Tropospheric Equatorial Zonal Wind. [Poster] In: EGU General Assembly 2015. , 12.–17.04.2015 , Vienna, Austria .

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Abstract

Variations in the global tropospheric zonal mean zonal wind ([U]) during boreal winter are investigated using Rotated Empirical Orthogonal Functions applied to monthly means. The first two modes correspond to the Northern and Southern Annular Mode and modes 3 and 4 represent variability in the tropics. One is related to El Nino Southern Oscillation and the other has variability that is highly correlated with the time series of [U] at 150 hPa between 5 ◦ N and 5 ◦ S ([U150]e) and is related to activity of the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO). High amplitude of the MJO with strong precipitation anomalies over the western tropical Pacific (late MJO phases) are associated with the westerly phase of [U150]e (and vice versa). The extratropical response to [U150]e is investigated using linear regressions of 500 hPa geopotential height onto the [U150]e time series. Use is made of reanalysis data and
of the ensemble mean output from a relaxation experiment using the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) model in which the tropical atmosphere is relaxed towards reanalysis data. Both the 45- year ECMWF reanalysis (ERA-40) and the ERA-Interim reanalysis data sets are used for the relaxation experiment as well as for the regression analysis. Therefore the analysis is covering 52 boreal winters from 1960/61 to 2012/13. The regression analysis reveals a robust shift of the Aleutian low and a wave train across the North Atlantic associated with [U150]e. It is found that the subtropical Rossby waveguides and the link between the North Pacific and North Atlantic are stronger during the easterly phase of [U150]e. The wave train over the North Atlantic is associated with Rossby wave sources over the subtropical North Pacific and North America.

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