Description: |
Westerly wind trends at 850 hPa over the Southern Ocean during 1979-2011 exhibit strong regional and seasonal asymmetries. On an annual basis, trends in the Pacific sector (40 degrees-60 degrees S, 70 degrees-160 degrees W) are 3 times larger than zonal-mean trends related to the increase in the southern annular mode (SAM). Seasonally, the SAM-related trend is largest in austral summer, and many studies have linked this trend with stratospheric ozone depletion. In contrast, the Pacific sector trends are largest in austral autumn. The authors of this paper propose that asymmetries can be explained by a combination of tropical teleconnections and polar ozone depletion. [Source: Journal of Climate]
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