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Quasi-biennial oscillation
air current
Also known as: Krakatoa easterlies, Krakatoa winds, QBO
Quasi-biennial oscillation, layer of winds that encircle Earth’s lower stratosphere, at altitudes from 20 to 40 kilometres (about 12 to 25 miles), between latitudes 15° N and 15° S. They blow at velocities of 15 to 35 metres per second (about 35 to 80 miles per hour). They are alternately easterly and westerly, reversing about every 13 months. The quasi-biennial oscillation was originally known as the Krakatoa winds or the Krakatoa easterlies. These names were derived from the role the winds played in transporting dust thrown into the atmosphere by the explosion (1883) of the volcanic island of Krakatoa in present-day Indonesia.
This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.
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