Following the procedure of Van Loon and Labitzke we classified the monthly averaged pressure, the latitude position and the longitude position of these COA for each month of the year (during 1948-2004) according to the East and West directions of the equatorial stratospheric winds, and correlated each set with the solar cycle. Significant correlations were found for each of the COA in selected months in winter, spring, summer and autumn.
The responses in the surface conditions of the COA are found to lag the stratospheric wind direction by zero to four months. Current theories of stratosphere-troposphere dynamical coupling are evaluated to identify mechanisms that might communicate stratospheric circulation anomalies to the surface in all seasons and with lags of several months.
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