SA41B-2345
Sudden stratospheric warmings observed in the last decade by satellite measurements and reanalysis
Thursday, 17 December 2015
Poster Hall (Moscone South)
Kishore Pangaluru1, Isabella Velicogna2,3 and Tyler C Sutterley2, (1)University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States, (2)University of California Irvine, Department of Earth System Science, Irvine, CA, United States, (3)Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, United States
Abstract:
In the present study the characteristics, intensity and duration of recent sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events are studied extensively by using satellite (GPS Radio Occultation (GPSRO), SABER, and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS)) and reanalysis (GOES-5 and ERA-Interim) datasets. 9 SSW events are identifiable over the 12 winters from 2001 to 2013. The SSW events affect tropopause, stratopause and mesopause height. The altitude of the tropopause decreased by ~1 km during SSW events in NH high latitudes. Significant increase in the stratopause altitude occurs, which reaches to almost ~75 km when compared to non-warming years. The stratopause lifting effect was observed up to 50oN. SSW effects on the tropopause and stratopause observed at polar latitudes may not be felt directly at the tropical latitudes. Interestingly, large reductions in the mesopause altitudes are observed during SSW events (by 3-4 km). The mesopause sinking propagates to the tropical altitudes in some of the SSW winters. Gravity wave activity is also examined during these SSW events. We find a delayed effect of warming on the tropopause and stratopause, and a premature effect on the mesopause and gravity wave potential energy (Ep).
