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Professor Lesley Gray

Emeritus

Research theme

  • Climate physics

Sub department

  • Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics

Research groups

  • Climate dynamics
Lesley.Gray@physics.ox.ac.uk
Telephone: 01865 (2)72909
Atmospheric Physics Clarendon Laboratory, room 109
  • About
  • Publications

The impact of the tropical stratosphere on the evolution of the polar night jet

14th Conference on Middle Atmosphere (2007)

Authors:

M Scott, LJ Gray, N Butchart, S Reddy, A Bushell

The influence of the equatorial upper stratosphere on the frequency of sudden stratospheric warmings (Invited Speaker)

14th Conference on Middle Atmosphere (2007)

Twisting arms: court referred and court linked mediation under judicial pressure

Ministry of Justice Research Series 1 (2007) 07

Authors:

Hazel Genn, Paul Fenn, Marc Mason, Andrew Lane, Nadia Bechai, Lauren Gray, Dev Vencappa

Quasi-biennial oscillation and tracer distributions in a coupled chemistry-climate model

Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres 111:20 (2006)

Authors:

W Tian, MP Chipperfield, LJ Gray, JM Zawodny

Abstract:

We have used a fully coupled chemistry-climate model (CCM), which generates its own wind and temperature quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), to study the effect of coupling on the QBO and to examine the QBO signals in stratospheric trace gases, particularly ozone. Radiative coupling of the interactive chemistry to the underlying general circulation model tends to prolong the QBO period and to increase the QBO amplitude in the equatorial zonal wind in the lower and middle stratosphere. The model ozone QBO agrees well with Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II and Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer satellite observations in terms of vertical and latitudinal structure. The model captures the ozone QBO phase change near 28 km over the equator and the column phase change near ± 15° latitude. Diagnosis of the model chemical terms shows that variations in NOx are the main chemical driver of the O3 QBO around 35 km, i.e., above the O3 phase change. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.
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A possible transfer mechanism for the 11-year solar cycle to the lower stratosphere

Space Science Reviews 125:1-4 (2006) 357-370

Authors:

LJ Gray, SA Crooks, MA Palmer, CL Pascoe, S Sparrow

Abstract:

Observational evidence of the 11-year solar cycle (SC) modulation of stratosphere temperatures and winds from the ERA-40 dataset is reviewed, with emphasis on the Northern winter hemisphere. A frequency modulation of sudden warming events is noted, with warmings occurring earlier in solar minimum periods than in solar maximum periods. The observed interaction between the influence of the SC and the quasi biennial oscillation (QBO) on the frequency of sudden warmings is noted as a possible clue for understanding their mechanism of influence. A possible transfer route for the 11-year solar cycle from the equatorial stratopause region to the lowest part of the stratosphere is proposed, via an influence on sudden warming events and the associated induced meridional circulation. SC and QBO composites of zonal wind anomalies show anomalous wind distributions in the subtropical upper stratosphere in early winter. Mechanistic model experiments are reviewed that demonstrate a sensitivity of sudden warmings to small wind anomalies in this region. Various diagnostics from these experiments are shown, including EP fluxes and their divergence and also the synoptic evolution of the polar vortex, in order to understand the mechanism of the influence. Some recent GCM experiments to investigate the SC/QBO interaction are also described. They simulate reasonably well the observed SC/QBO interaction of sudden warming events and appear to support the hypothesis that tropical/subtropical upper stratospheric wind anomalies are an important influence on the timing of sudden warmings. © Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2007.
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