Abstract
The quasibiennial oscillation (QBO) of stratospheric winds is the most striking example of mean-flow generation and reversal by the nonlinear interactions of internal waves. Previous studies have used an idealized monochromatic forcing to investigate the QBO. Here we instead force a more realistic continuous wave spectrum. Unexpectedly, spreading the wave energy across a wide frequency range leads to more regular oscillations. We also find that different forcing spectra can yield the same QBO. Multimodal wave forcing is thus essential for understanding wave-mean-flow interactions in nature.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | 234501 |
Journal | Physical review letters |
Volume | 125 |
Issue number | 23 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2 2020 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy(all)