Asymmetry in the interhemispheric planetary wave-tide link between the two hemispheres

This study assesses the relation between the year-to-year variability of the semidiurnal tides (SDT) observed at high latitudes of both hemispheres and the global stratospheric stationary planetary wave (SPW) with zonal wavenumber S=1 (SPW1) derived from the UKMO temperature data. No significant positive correlation can be identified between the interannual variability of the Northern Hemisphere (NH) SDT and the Southern Hemisphere (SH) SPW1 for austral late-winter months. In contrast, a good consistency is evident for the interannual variations between the SDT observed at Rothera (68°S, 68°W) and the Arctic SPW1 for NH mid-winter months. Since it has been observed that during austral summer the non-migrating SDT often plays a significant role at the latitude of Rothera, a physical link between the SH SDT and the NH SPW is suggested. This asymmetry in the interhemispheric link is also noted in a recent study.

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