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Hirota, Isamu

Publications and source records attributed to Hirota, Isamu.

Kelvin waves near the equatorial stratopause as seen in SBUV ozone data

Data on ozone mixing ratios derived for the time period 1979-1986 from measurements of the solar backscatter UV instrument on board Nimbus-7 were used to investigate space-time variations of atmospheric ozone in the equatorial middle atmospohere during this period. Evidence is presented for the appearance of equatorially trapped 'ozone Kelvin waves' above the 10-mb level, having a zonal wavenumber-one component and an eastward migration period of about 7 days. It is shown that Kelvin wave amplitudes are closely related to the semiannual oscillation of the zonal mean wind around the stratopause level.

Hirota, Isamu↗

Multiple planetary flow regimes in the Southern Hemisphere

Low-frequency variations in the general circulation of the Southern Hemisphere during 1983 were studied using daily geopotential height and temperature analyses for 12 pressure levels from 1000 mb up to 50 mb, performed by the National Meteorological Center of Japan. Results disclosed the presence, in the Southern Hemisphere troposphere, of an irregular fluctuation of two zonal mean geostrophic wind patterns (named single-jet and double-jet regimes) during wintertime. The fluctuation is characterized by the persistence of one geostrophic wind regime, with characteristic duration of a month, followed by a rather rapid transition to another regime.

Yoden, Shigeo↗