Interannual Modulation of Northern Hemisphere Winter Storm Tracks by the QBO
Abstract
Storm tracks, defined as the preferred regions of extratropical synoptic-scale disturbances, have remarkable impacts on global weather and climate systems. Causes of interannual storm track variation have been investigated mostly from a troposphere perspective. As shown in this study, Northern Hemisphere winter storm tracks are significantly modulated by the tropical stratosphere through the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO). The North Pacific storm track shifts poleward during the easterly QBO winters associated with a dipole change in the eddy refraction and baroclinicity. The North Atlantic storm track varies vertically with a downward shrinking (upward expansion) in easterly (westerly) QBO winters associated with the change of the tropopause height. These results not only fill the knowledge gap of QBO-storm track relationship but also suggest a potential route to improve the seasonal prediction of extratropical storm activities owing to the high predictability of the QBO.
- Publication:
-
Geophysical Research Letters
- Pub Date:
- March 2018
- DOI:
- 10.1002/2017GL076929
- Bibcode:
- 2018GeoRL..45.2786W
- Keywords:
-
- storm track;
- Northern Hemisphere winter;
- QBO