DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN VERTICAL PROFILES OF OZONE AND METEOROLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN THE PHASES OF THE QUASI-BIENNIAL OSCILLATION (FROM OZONESONDE DATA)

The differences between the values of partial ozone pressure, temperat ure, and zonal and meridional wind speeds inherent in the westerly and easterly phases of equatorial stratospheric wind at a level of 50 mba r (westerly values minus easterly values) are analyzed depending on al titude and season. The data of ozonesonde observations performed at se veral stations in North America, Western Europe, and Japan were used. An essential seasonal dependence of the differences in vertical profil es of ozone, temperature, and wind speed are revealed. A certain verti cal structure in the differences is found. In particular, some atmosph eric layers show the characteristic properties (extremes) in the verti cal profiles of the ozone difference. Among these layers are the vicin ity of the upper boundary of the tropopause, the vicinity of a height of 15 km, the lower vicinity of the maximum-ozone layer of or this lay er itself, and the layer from 25 to 30-km or above this layer. The phe nomena revealed depend not only on latitude but on region within a giv en latitudinal zone as well. Distinctions in temperature and wind spee d correlate well with the results of Holton and Tan, Labitzke and Van Loon. The ozone differences for the midlatitudinal and Arctic stratosp here are most commonly negative, whereas positive differences are note d for the troposphere and low-latitudinal stratosphere. Distinctions i n ozone content, temperature, and wind speed for the westerly and east erly phases of the quasi-biennial oscillation are usually most signifi cant in winter. However, in other seasons, the differences (primarily the ozone ones) may be significantly greater than the winter ones. Suc h a behavior occurs usually in the troposphere and middle stratosphere within the layer from 20 to 25 km or above 25 km. It is also importan t that the ozone differences in a given layer may change sign in diffe rent seasons. Possible mechanisms of the above distinctions are discus sed.