What's in a Name? On the Use and Significance of the Term “Polar Vortex”

Manney, G. L.; Butler, A. H.; Lawrence, Z. D.; Wargan, K.; Santee, M. L.

doi:10.1029/2021GL097617

i

What's in a Name? On the Use and Significance of the Term “Polar Vortex”

2022
By Manney, G. L. ; Butler, A. H. ; Lawrence, Z. D. ; ...

Details

Journal Title:

Geophysical Research Letters
Personal Author:

Manney, G. L. ; Butler, A. H. ; Lawrence, Z. D. ; Wargan, K. ; Santee, M. L.
NOAA Program & Office:

OAR (Oceanic and Atmospheric Research) ; PSL (Physical Sciences Laboratory) ; CSL (Chemical Sciences Laboratory) ; CIRES (Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences)
Description:

Mainstream and popular science media are rife with misunderstandings about what a “polar vortex” is. The term most aptly describes the stratospheric polar vortex, a single feature dominating the cool-season circulation from ∼15–50 km. Regional jet stream variations dominate the tropospheric circulation, which is not well-described as a polar vortex; indeed, there is no single consistent definition of a tropospheric polar vortex in the literature. Stratospheric polar vortex disturbances profoundly influence extreme weather events, including cold air outbreaks (CAOs). How the stratospheric polar vortex affects tropospheric jets, whose local excursions drive CAOs, is not fully understood. Public-facing parts of publications describing research on this topic are not always clear about how the “polar vortex” is defined; greater clarity could improve communications both within the community and with non-specialist audiences.
Keywords:

Polar Vortex Tropospheric Circulation Polar Vortex Tropospheric Circulation Cold Air Outbreaks (CAOs) Stratospheric Polar Vortex Upper Tropospheric Jet Streams
Source:

Geophysical Research Letters, 49, e2021GL097617
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL097617
Format:

PDF
Document Type:

Journal Article
Funding:

Grant no. NA20NWS4680051
License:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Rights Information:

CC BY-NC-ND
Compliance:

Submitted
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha256:94ddcc0e211538764e34428a08479b5c40c9d3b03920e6cd490db451017ada5f
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/48980/noaa_48980_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 4.02 MB ]

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