QUASI-BIENNIAL VARIATIONS IN THE "CENTERS

• Main Authors: J. K. Angell, J. Korshover, G. F. Cotten
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1969
• Subjects: Pacific; North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.395.2758; http://docs.lib.noaa.gov/rescue/mwr/097/mwr-097-12-0867.pdf

Quasi-biennial (about 28-mo) variations in surface pressurc occur in thc vicinity of the North Atlantic and North Pacific subtropical Highs and subpolar LONS, with harmonic amplitudes of order 0.4 mb. The subtropical Highs undergo quasi-biennial latitudinal and longitudinal oscillations averaging about lo of latitude, with the Atlantic High apparently oscillating in the northeast-southwest direction and the Pacific High in the northwest-southeast direction. The quasi-biennial pressure oscillations in the North Atlantic subpolar Low and subtropical High arc almost out of phase, implying a relatively strong quasi-biennial variation in surfacc zonal wind in North Atlantic temperate latitudes. There is evidence for a quasi-biennial variation in frequency of hurricanes and typhoons in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, and of severe storms in the vicinity of India. Within thc quasi-biennial framcwork, an above-average frequency of hurricanes or typhoons is associated with above-average pressurc in the rcspcctive subtropical Highs.