Dynamics of the Antarctic polar vortex during the 2002 sudden stratospheric warming
E.S. Savelieva
Institute of Monitoring of Climatic and Ecological Systems of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Tomsk, Russia
Keywords: внезапное стратосферное потепление, антарктический полярный вихрь, нижняя субтропическая стратосфера, sudden stratospheric warming, Antarctic polar vortex, lower subtropical stratosphere
Abstract
In September 2002, the sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) was observed over the Antarctic as a result of the polar vortex splitting. The unusually early breakdown of the Antarctic polar vortex in spring 2002 was caused by the increased activity of vertically propagating planetary waves. The dynamics of the south polar vortex during SSW of 2002 is investigated. An unusual temperature decrease in the lower subtropical stratosphere, which contributed to a decrease in the stratospheric meridional temperature gradient is considered a possible cause of the weakening of the polar vortex, which preceded its splitting under the influence of planetary waves.
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