Planetary and interseasonal properties of the NASA scatterometer (NSCAT) wi
nds are explored in the context of the quasi-stationary waves (QSWs) of the
southern hemisphere. The QSWs are examined by means of zonal asymmetries o
f 3-month running averages of the meridional velocity derived from NSCAT. T
he study period spans the entire NSCAT record from September 15, 1996, thro
ugh June 29, 1997, Meridional winds from the European Space Agency ERS 2 sc
atterometer are used to augment 3-month averages centered on August 1996 th
rough May 1997. The time period corresponds to the transition from year -1
to 0 of the 1997 warm event in the Southern Oscillation. Comparisons are ma
de with QSW signals in geopotential height anomalies from the National Cent
ers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research C
limate Data Assimilation System. The zonal anomalies of meridional wind fro
m NSCAT are shown to be in approximate geostrophic balance with zonal gradi
ents in the zonal anomalies of geopotential height at 500 and 1000 hPa.