19.01.2011
The Quasi-Biennial Oscillation in Analyses and in ECHAM Simulations

The quasi-biennial oscillation is a well known global scale phenomenon of the stratosphere, which is intriguing for the wave mean-flow interaction mechanism that causes the QBO, and for the quasi periodicity. While the basic theory is understood, the quantitative understanding of the role of different wave types and scales is incomplete, and the sensitivity of the QBO to climatic variations or changes is unclear.
This presentation will primarily introduce the QBO, its phenomenology and the theory. Secondly a QBO simulation in ECHAM5 will be presented, including an analysis of the driving mechanism, and thirdly open questions and ongoing research will be discussed.