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On recent interannual variability of the Arctic winter mesosphere: Implications for tracer descent

On recent interannual variability of the Arctic winter mesosphere: Implications for tracer descent

Authors :
Lawrence Coy
David E. Siskind
Stephen D. Eckermann
John P. McCormack
Cora E. Randall
Source :
Geophysical Research Letters. 34
Publication Year :
2007
Publisher :
American Geophysical Union (AGU), 2007.

Abstract

[1] Observations from the Sounding of the Atmosphere with Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) experiment on the NASA/Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite show an unusual vertical displacement of the winter Arctic stratopause in 2006 with zonal mean temperatures at 0.01 hPa (∼78 km) exceeding 250 K. By contrast, at the conventional stratopause location near 0.7 hPa (∼50 km), temperatures were unusually cold. Simulations with the NOGAPS-ALPHA model suggest that these are coupled to an unusually warm and disturbed lower stratosphere that filtered out many of the gravity waves that normally break at and above 50 km. The model also shows that downward transport in the 2006 Arctic vortex was enhanced relative to 2005. These results might explain observations of enhanced upper atmospheric NO descending to the upper stratosphere in 2006 and highlights the importance of gravity waves in modulating the coupling of the upper atmosphere with the stratosphere.

Details

ISSN :
00948276
Volume :
34
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Geophysical Research Letters
Accession number :
edsair.doi...........540c37ccc80d1cd9b0e11e33e23fb6d3
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1029/2007gl029293