Major Sudden Stratospheric Warming in the Arctic in February 2018 and Its Impacts on the Troposphere, Mesosphere, and Ozone Layer

Abstract

Dynamical processes in the Arctic stratosphere in the winter of 2017/2018 are analyzed using data of the NCEP reanalysis and SABER and MLS satellite measurements. The following features are revealed: the downward propagation of wave activity from the stratosphere to troposphere over Canada in late December and early January, the major sudden stratospheric warming with the zonal wind reversal in February 2018 accompanied by the stratospheric polar vortex splitting, the propagation of stratospheric circulation anomalies to the lower troposphere, the mesospheric cooling, the stratopause height change, and the cooling in the tropical lower stratosphere.