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Changes in tropopause height for the Eurasian region determined from CARDS radiosonde data
Juan A Añel1, Luis Gimeno, Laura de la Torre
1Facultad de Ciencias de Ourense, Universidad de Vigo, Ourense, Spain. j.anhel@uvigo.es
Die Naturwissenschaften
|October 19, 2006
Summary
Tropopause height (TH) variations in Eurasia were analyzed. Stratospheric Northern Annular Mode (NAM) influences TH at high latitudes, but data quality significantly impacts trend detection.
Area of Science:
- Atmospheric Science
- Climatology
- Geophysics
Background:
- Tropopause height (TH) is a key indicator of climate change.
- Eurasian extratropics are crucial regions for studying TH variations.
Purpose of the Study:
- Analyze TH variations in the Eurasian region from 1973-1998.
- Investigate the influence of the Northern Annular Mode (NAM) on TH.
- Assess the impact of data quality and analytical methods on TH trends.
Main Methods:
- Homogenization of radiosonde data.
- Analysis of three scenarios including change points and volcanic eruptions.
- Statistical analysis of TH trends and correlation with NAM.
Main Results:
- TH trends are highly sensitive to data quality and homogenization methods.
- Including change points in analysis reduced the number of stations with positive TH trends.
- Stratospheric NAM significantly controls TH at latitudes above 55 degrees N.
Conclusions:
- Data quality control is critical for accurate TH trend analysis.
- The influence of NAM on TH is geographically dependent.
- TH remains a valuable metric for understanding climate dynamics.
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