How can we improve the driving of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation in
climate models?
Abstract
The Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) of zonal-mean zonal winds in the
tropical stratosphere is a conspicuous feature of the Earth climate. Its
influence virtually extends to the whole atmosphere. The QBO is driven
by the dissipation of waves generated by deep convection in the tropics.
Yet, a significant fraction of these waves have spatial scales that are
not explicitly resolved in current climate models, so that the evolution
of the QBO in a changing climate still remains unclear. A study by
\citeA{Vincent2020} shows that recent long-duration
balloon observations, combined with information on the vertical
structure of the tropical atmosphere, could contribute to provide
significantly improved constraints on wave parameterization in models.