Some aspects of stratospheric dynamics

Observations of the stratosphere are analyzed. The behavior of the wind and temperature in the stratosphere is compared to that of the troposphere. Techniques for observing the circulation and temperatures of the stratosphere and the basic circulation and temperature characteristics are described. The propagation of tropospheric planetary waves to the stratosphere and their interaction with the mean flow are studied. The stability of the zonal-mean state in the stratosphere is investigated by calculating the meridional gradient of zonal-mean quasi-geostrophic potential vorticity.