Water Vapor, Clouds, and Saturation in the Tropical Tropopause Layer

The role of tropical deep convective clouds on temperature, water vapor, and dehydration in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL)

Temperature and water vapor variations due to clouds in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) are investigated using co-located MLS, CALIPSO, and CloudSat data. Convective cooling occurs only up to the cloud tops, with warming above these heights in the TTL. Water vapor and ozone anomalies above the cloud tops are consistent with the warming being due to downward motion. Thicker clouds are associ...

Dehydration in tropical tropopause layer

In situ observations of “cold trap” dehydration in the western tropical Pacific F. Hasebe, M. Fujiwara, N. Nishi, M. Shiotani, H. Vömel, S. Oltmans, H. Takashima, S. Saraspriya, and N. Komala Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan Geophysical Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Uji, Jap...

Influence of convection on the water isotopic composition of the tropical tropopause layer and tropical stratosphere

A Climatology of the Tropical Tropopause Layer

The tropical tropopause layer (TTL) is a transition region between the troposphere and the stratosphere. In this study the vertical extent of the TTL is diagnosed from radiosonde and ozonesonde profiles in the tropics and a climatology of this layer is presented. The radiative balance in the TTL is also characterized. The TTL is locally defined as extending from the level of the lapse rate mini...

How do the water vapor and carbon monoxide ‘‘tape recorders’’ start near the tropical tropopause?

[1] This paper evaluates geo-seasonal relationships in tropical deep convection using radar and infrared data from Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM), near tropopause thin clouds from Stratospheric Air and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II, water vapor and carbon monoxide (CO) from the Earth Observing System (EOS) Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS), and the tropopause temperature from National Center ...