Anomalous changes of temperature and ozone QBOs in 2015−2017 from radiosonde observation and MERRA-2 reanalysis

Abstract

Anomalous changes of zonal wind quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in winter 2015−2016 have received close attention. Combining radiosonde and satellite observations and reanalysis data, we investigate anomalous changes in temperature and ozone QBOs from the lower to middle stratosphere. As wind shear direction is reversed due to unexpected changes of zonal wind QBO at about 24−30 km, the shortest cold phase at 21−27 km appears in temperature QBO. This is different from the completely interrupted westward phase in zonal wind QBO, while the longest cold phase above almost 27 km lasts for 2−3 years from 2015 to 2017, owing to the absence of corresponding warm phase. Meridional scale reduction of temperature QBO causes a small temperature anomaly, thus the thermal wind relationship looks seemingly different from that in the other regular QBO cycles. QBO in the ozone mixing ratio anomaly shows a double-peak with inverse phase, and its phase below (above) 30 km is in agreement with (opposite to) the phase of temperature QBO because of different control mechanisms of ozone. Following temperature QBO variation, QBO in the ozone mixing ratio anomaly exhibits a less positive phase at 20−30 km in 2016−2017, and a very long positive phase above 30 km from 2015 to 2017. QBO in total column ozone shows a small peak in winter 2016−2017 since ozone is mainly concentrated at 20 to 30 km. Anomalous changes of temperature and ozone QBOs due to unexpected QBO zonal wind variation can be well-explained according to thermal wind balance and thermodynamic balance.