Dynamical Characteristics of Quasi-6-day Rossby Waves and Gravity Waves
during the Stratospheric Sudden Warming in the Southern Hemisphere in
2019
Abstract
In September 2019, a minor but strong sudden stratospheric warming (SSW)
event occurred in the Southern Hemisphere. We examine the dynamical
characteristics of the gravity waves (GWs) and Rossby waves (RWs),
especially quasi-6-day waves (Q6DWs), during this event based on Program
of the Antarctic Syowa (PANSY) radar observations and high-resolution
Japanese Atmospheric General circulation model for Upper Atmosphere
Research (JAGUAR) simulations. For the GWs, strongly negative vertical
fluxes of zonal momentum in the stratosphere were observed around the
edge of the polar vortex during the SSW event. In the mesosphere,
strongly positive momentum fluxes were observed in the Eastern
Hemisphere, where westward winds were dominant associated with the SSW
event. For the RWs, two types of Q6DWs appeared during the SSW event:
one with eastward phase velocity (Q6DW-E) and one with westward phase
velocity (Q6DW-W). These waves had a baroclinic structure in vertical,
differing from normal-mode 5-day Rossby waves. It is shown that Q6DW-E,
which was observed prior to the SSW onset, was an unstable wave owing to
the baroclinic instability in the high-latitude mesosphere. Conversely,
Q6DW-W was observed after the onset and had characteristics of an
upward-propagating internal RW. It is considered to be generated by
barotropic/baroclinic instability in the upper stratosphere. This
instability was likely caused by forcings resulting from the in situ
generated Q6DW-E and RWs originating from the mid- and high-latitude
troposphere, as well as the GW forcings, which were positive in the
mesosphere and negative in the stratosphere associated with the SSW
event.