Global patterns of the quasi-biennial oscillation in total ozone

The global structure of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in total ozone is examined using nine years of total ozone measurements from the Nimbus 7 Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer. It is shown that the interannual variations of total ozone near the equator are dominated by the QBO and that extratropical anomalies of either sign are largest in the winter season in each hemisphere. Coherent patterns of correlation are found between the equatorial ozone and eddy variances of the ozone field at the equator and in the adjacent subtropics.