A study of the latitudinal dependence of the quasi‐biennial oscillation in Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer total ozone

ABSTRACT A wavelet multiresolution analysis of the quasi‐biennial oscillation (QBO) latitudinal structure in total ozone is performed for the period 1979–1992 (Nimbus‐7 TOMS data). It has been found that ozone is nearly in phase with the QBO signal in the equatorial region (0°–5° and 5°–10°), and it is out of phase (lag ∼+15 and −15 months in north and south) in the 10°–15° to 55°–60° latitudinal bands. The cross‐correlation coefficient between total ozone and zonal wind index is high (>0.7) at latitudes lower than 10°, decreases in the transition region 10°–15° (r∼ 0.4) and it has a non‐linear profile at high latitudes, with a maximum near the 25°–30° band. The correlation is observed to be higher in the Southern Hemisphere latitudinal bands. Spectral analysis was performed for each latitudinal range, and QBO period and amplitude profiles were obtained. A detailed latitudinal profile of the QBO signal in total ozone is obtained from the present analysis.