All Physics Faculty Publications

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Atmosphere

Author ORCID Identifier

Jiarong Zhang https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8733-2336

Yvan Orsolini https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7454-026X

Volume

16

Issue

12

Publisher

MDPI AG

Publication Date

11-23-2025

Journal Article Version

Version of Record

First Page

1

Last Page

13

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

The semi-annual oscillation (SAO) dominates seasonal variability in the equatorial stratosphere and mesosphere. However, the seasonally dependent modulation of the SAO in the stratosphere (SSAO) and mesosphere (MSAO) by sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) in the Arctic has not been investigated in detail. In this study, we examine the seasonal evolution of the SAO during 16 major SSW events spanning 2004 to 2024 using the Japanese Atmospheric General Circulation Model for Upper Atmosphere Research Data Assimilation System Whole Neutral Atmosphere Re-analysis (JAWARA). Basic features of the SAO are well captured by JAWARA, as evidenced by the SSAO and MSAO appearing at around 50 km and 85 km, respectively. The different responses of the SAO to early and late winter SSWs are particularly strong during the Northern Hemisphere winter of 2023/24. Early winter SSWs tend to significantly intensify the westward SSAO, while late winter SSWs tend to weaken the eastward SSAO. Similarly, the eastward MSAO is amplified during early winter SSWs, whereas the westward MSAO is slightly weakened during late winter SSWs. The weak MSAO response is probably due to its smaller climatological magnitude. Modulation of the SAO by SSWs is related to meridional temperature changes during SSWs through the thermal wind balance. Our findings contribute to the understanding of coupling between the tropics and high latitudes, as well as interhemispheric coupling.

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