Transport of atmospheric tracers by planetary waves during a winter stratospheric warming event: A three‐dimensional model simulation

Abstract

In a simple three‐dimensional primitive equation model, a wave number 1 major stratospheric warming is simulated. With the aid of two idealized tracers it is shown that the transport during a major warming event is characterized by a small, well‐organized tongue of subtropical air flowing around the displaced winter vortex into the polar cap and by a wide area with strong quasi‐horizontal mixing (surf zone). The description of these dynamical processes requires a full three‐dimensional space resolution.