Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026

A Microfluidics Approach for the Functional Investigation of Signaling Oscillations Governing Somitogenesis
Published on: March 19, 2021
A quasi-biennial oscillation signal in general circulation model simulations
Abstract:
The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is a free atmospheric mode that affects the equatorial lower stratosphere. With a quasi-regular frequency, the mean equatorial zonal wind alternates from easterly to westerly regimes. This oscillation is zonally symmetric about the equator, has its largest amplitude in the latitudinal band from 20 degrees S to 20 degrees N, and has a mean period of about 27 months. The QBO appears to originate in the momentum deposition produced by the damping in the stratosphere of equatorial waves excited by diabatic thermal processes in the troposphere. The results of three 10-year simulations obtained with three general circulation models are reported, all of which show the development in the stratosphere of a QBO signal with a period and a spatial propagating structure that are in good agreement with observations without any ad hoc parameterization of equatorial wave forcing. Although the amplitude of the oscillation in the simulations is still less than the observed value, the result is promising for the development of global climate models.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Oscillations about an Equilibrium Position
Forced Oscillations
Damped Oscillations
Although friction and other non-conservative...
Oscillations In An LC Circuit
Frequency of Spring-Mass System
Consider a block on a spring on a frictionless surface. There...
Magnetostatic Boundary Conditions

