Using the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) climate model, it is shown that with proper choice of the gravity wave momentum flux entering the stratosphere and relatively fine vertical layering of at least 500 m in the upper troposphere-lower stratosphere (UTLS), a realistic stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is modeled with the proper period, amplitude, and structure d...

Long-lived coherent vortices located near the tropopause are often found over polar regions. Although these vortices are a commonly observed feature of the Arctic, and can have lifetimes longer than one month, little is known about the mechanisms that control their evolution. This paper examines mechanisms of intensity change for a cyclonic tropopause polar vortex (TPV) using an Ertel potential...

[1] Recent studies have shown that double tropopauses exist in all seasons, and at all longitudes, in the midlatitudes. As of yet, the key mechanism responsible for their formation is not known. In this study, we explore the connection between double tropopauses and midlatitude baroclinic eddies. This is investigated in the context of idealized life cycle experiments. The key finding of this st...

Tropopause temperatures (TPTs) control the amount of stratospheric water vapour, which influences chemistry, radiation and circulation in the stratosphere, and is also an important driver of surface climate. Decadal variability and long-term trends in tropical TPTs as well as stratospheric water vapour are largely unknown. Here, we present for the first time evidence, from reanalysis and state-...

Total ozone anomalies (deviation from the long-term mean) are created by anomalous circulation patterns. The dynamically produced ozone anomalies can be estimated from known circulation parameters in the layer between the tropopause and the middle stratosphere by means of statistics. Satellite observations of ozone anomalies can be compared with those expected from dynamics. Residual negative a...

It is generally held that atmospheric macroturbulence can be strongly nonlinear. Yet weakly nonlinear models successfully account for scales and structures of baroclinic eddies in Earth’s atmosphere. Here a theory and simulations with an idealized GCM are presented that suggest weakly nonlinear models are so successful because atmospheric macroturbulence organizes itself into critical states of...

the use of organophosphorus hydrolase (oph) enzyme to degrade chemical warfare agents is one of the most frequently used decontamination methods. oph is a ~36 kda homodimeric metalloprotein that is found in the membrane of flavobacterium sp. strain atcc 27551 and brevundimonas diminuta mg and is capable of hydrolyzing a wide range of oxon and thion , such as paraoxon and parathion. oph gene ( o...

Stellar scintillation is shown to be a good indicator of the upper-air winds near the tropopause. The exclusion principle is recast in the context of a generalized scheme for interspecific interactions.

Abstract Definition of the tropopause has remained a focus atmospheric science since its discovery near beginning twentieth century. Few universal definitions (those that can be reliably applied globally and to both common observations numerical model output) exist many with unique limitations have been developed over years. The most commonly used definition is temperature lapse-rate establishe...

An assay technique, homogeneous enzyme immunoassay, is described for the quantitative determination of morphine derivatives in biological fluids. An enzyme is labeled with morphine. When the enzymelabeled morphine is bound by antimorphine antibodies, the enzyme is rendered inactive. Free morphine competes with enzyme-morphine for antibody binding sites preventing inhibition of enzyme activity. ...