Planetary waves-mean flow interaction in the middle atmosphere - Numerical modelling and lidar observations
Résumé
Predictions of a semispectral model of the wave one/zonal flow interaction in the middle atmosphere are compared with lidar-observed temperature perturbation data obtained during the 1981-1982 winter from the Haute Provence Observatory. A succession of upper stratospheric warmings and associated mesospheric coolings are found when the amplitude of the stationary wave forcing reaches a critical value. Adding an 18-days travelling wave to this forcing, the upper stratospheric warmings are shown to occur preferentially a few days after the phase coincidence of the travelling and stationary waves. It is noted that the model is too simple to reproduce all of the experimentally observed wavy perturbations.