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Schoeberl MR, Jensen EJ, Pfister L, Ueyama R, Wang T, Selkirk H, Avery M, Thornberry T, Dessler AE. Water Vapor, Clouds, and Saturation in the Tropical Tropopause Layer. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. ATMOSPHERES : JGR 2019; 124:3984-4003. [PMID: 33868885 PMCID: PMC8051107 DOI: 10.1029/2018jd029849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The goal of this investigation is to understand the mechanism behind the observed high relative humidity with respect to ice (RHi) in the tropical region between ~14 km (150 hPa) and the tropopause, often referred to as the tropical tropopause layer (TTL). As shown by satellite, aircraft and balloon observations, high (>80%) RHi regions are widespread within the TTL. Regions with the highest RHi are co-located with extensive cirrus. During boreal winter, the TTL RHi is highest over the Tropical Western Pacific (TWP) with a weaker maximum over South America and Africa. In the winter, TTL temperatures are coldest and upward motion is the greatest in the TWP. It is this upward motion, driving humid air into the colder upper troposphere that produces the persistent high RHi and cirrus formation. Back trajectory calculations show that comparable adiabatic and diabatic processes contribute to this upward motion. We construct a bulk model of TWP TTL water vapor transport that includes cloud nucleation and ice microphysics that quantifies how upward motion drives the persistent high RHi in the TTL region. We find that atmospheric waves triggering cloud formation regulate the RHi, and that convection dehydrates the TTL. Our forward domain-filling trajectory (FDF) model is used to more precisely simulate the TTL spatial and vertical distribution of RHi. The observed RHi distribution is reproduced by the model and we show that convection increases RHi below the base of the TTL with little impact on the RHi in the TTL region.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - E. J. Jensen
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
| | - L. Pfister
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
| | - R. Ueyama
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA
| | - T. Wang
- Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - H. Selkirk
- Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
- Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD, USA
| | | | - T. Thornberry
- NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado-Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
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Jensen EJ, Pfister L, Jordan DE, Bui TV, Ueyama R, Singh HB, Thornberry TD, Rollins AW, Gao RS, Fahey DW, Rosenlof KH, Elkins JW, Diskin GS, DiGangi JP, Lawson RP, Woods S, Atlas EL, Navarro Rodriguez MA, Wofsy SC, Pittman J, Bardeen CG, Toon OB, Kindel BC, Newman PA, McGill MJ, Hlavka DL, Lait LR, Schoeberl MR, Bergman JW, Selkirk HB, Alexander MJ, Kim JE, Lim BH, Stutz J, Pfeilsticker K. THE NASA AIRBORNE TROPICAL TROPOPAUSE EXPERIMENT: High-Altitude Aircraft Measurements in the Tropical Western Pacific. BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY 2017; 98:129-143. [PMID: 32699427 PMCID: PMC7375333 DOI: 10.1175/bams-d-14-00263.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
The February–March 2014 deployment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment (ATTREX) provided unique in situ measurements in the western Pacific tropical tropopause layer (TTL). Six flights were conducted from Guam with the long-range, high-altitude, unmanned Global Hawk aircraft. The ATTREX Global Hawk payload provided measurements of water vapor, meteorological conditions, cloud properties, tracer and chemical radical concentrations, and radiative fluxes. The campaign was partially coincident with the Convective Transport of Active Species in the Tropics (CONTRAST) and the Coordinated Airborne Studies in the Tropics (CAST) airborne campaigns based in Guam using lower-altitude aircraft (see companion articles in this issue). The ATTREX dataset is being used for investigations of TTL cloud, transport, dynamical, and chemical processes, as well as for evaluation and improvement of global-model representations of TTL processes. The ATTREX data are publicly available online (at https://espoarchive.nasa.gov/).
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric J Jensen
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
| | | | | | | | - Rei Ueyama
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
| | | | - Troy D Thornberry
- NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory, and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Andrew W Rollins
- NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory, and Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Ru-Shan Gao
- NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado
| | - David W Fahey
- NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado
| | | | - James W Elkins
- NOAA/Earth System Research Laboratory, Boulder, Colorado
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Owen B Toon
- University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado
| | | | - Paul A Newman
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
| | | | | | | | | | - John W Bergman
- Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Sonoma, California
| | | | - M Joan Alexander
- NorthWest Research Associates, Colorado Research Associates Office, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Ji-Eun Kim
- NorthWest Research Associates, Colorado Research Associates Office, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Boon H Lim
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California
| | - Jochen Stutz
- University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
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Eidhammer T, DeMott PJ, Kreidenweis SM. A comparison of heterogeneous ice nucleation parameterizations using a parcel model framework. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.1029/2008jd011095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Liu X, Penner JE, Wang M. Influence of anthropogenic sulfate and black carbon on upper tropospheric clouds in the NCAR CAM3 model coupled to the IMPACT global aerosol model. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.1029/2008jd010492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Jensen EJ, Ackerman AS, Smith JA. Can overshooting convection dehydrate the tropical tropopause layer? ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006jd007943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Fortuin JPF, Becker CR, Fujiwara M, Immler F, Kelder HM, Scheele MP, Schrems O, Verver GHL. Origin and transport of tropical cirrus clouds observed over Paramaribo, Suriname (5.8°N, 55.2°W). ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2005jd006420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Liu C. Geographical and seasonal distribution of tropical tropopause thin clouds and their relation to deep convection and water vapor viewed from satellite measurements. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2006jd007479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Fu R, Hu Y, Wright JS, Jiang JH, Dickinson RE, Chen M, Filipiak M, Read WG, Waters JW, Wu DL. Short circuit of water vapor and polluted air to the global stratosphere by convective transport over the Tibetan Plateau. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2006; 103:5664-9. [PMID: 16585523 PMCID: PMC1458630 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0601584103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During boreal summer, much of the water vapor and CO entering the global tropical stratosphere is transported over the Asian monsoon/Tibetan Plateau (TP) region. Studies have suggested that most of this transport is carried out either by tropical convection over the South Asian monsoon region or by extratropical convection over southern China. By using measurements from the newly available National Aeronautics and Space Administration Aura Microwave Limb Sounder, along with observations from the Aqua and Tropical Rainfall-Measuring Mission satellites, we establish that the TP provides the main pathway for cross-tropopause transport in this region. Tropospheric moist convection driven by elevated surface heating over the TP is deeper and detrains more water vapor, CO, and ice at the tropopause than over the monsoon area. Warmer tropopause temperatures and slower-falling, smaller cirrus cloud particles in less saturated ambient air at the tropopause also allow more water vapor to travel into the lower stratosphere over the TP, effectively short-circuiting the slower ascent of water vapor across the cold tropical tropopause over the monsoon area. Air that is high in water vapor and CO over the Asian monsoon/TP region enters the lower stratosphere primarily over the TP, and it is then transported toward the Asian monsoon area and disperses into the large-scale upward motion of the global stratospheric circulation. Thus, hydration of the global stratosphere could be especially sensitive to changes of convection over the TP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong Fu
- *School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0340
- To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail:
or
| | - Yuanlong Hu
- *School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0340
| | - Jonathon S. Wright
- *School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0340
| | - Jonathan H. Jiang
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109; and
| | - Robert E. Dickinson
- *School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0340
- To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail:
or
| | - Mingxuan Chen
- *School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0340
| | - Mark Filipiak
- Institute of Atmospheric and Environmental Science, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, EH9 3JN Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - William G. Read
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109; and
| | - Joe W. Waters
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109; and
| | - Dong L. Wu
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109; and
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Dessler AE, Palm SP, Hart WD, Spinhirne JD. Tropopause-level thin cirrus coverage revealed by ICESat/Geoscience Laser Altimeter System. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2005jd006586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Lopez JP, Fridlind AM, Jost HJ, Loewenstein M, Ackerman AS, Campos TL, Weinstock EM, Sayres DS, Smith JB, Pittman JV, Hallar AG, Avallone LM, Davis SM, Herman RL. CO signatures in subtropical convective clouds and anvils during CRYSTAL-FACE: An analysis of convective transport and entrainment using observations and a cloud-resolving model. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2006. [DOI: 10.1029/2005jd006104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Sunilkumar SV. Temperature dependence of tropical cirrus properties and radiative effects. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1029/2004jd005426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Jensen E. Formation of a tropopause cirrus layer observed over Florida during CRYSTAL-FACE. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2005. [DOI: 10.1029/2004jd004671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Fridlind AM, Ackerman AS, Jensen EJ, Heymsfield AJ, Poellot MR, Stevens DE, Wang D, Miloshevich LM, Baumgardner D, Lawson RP, Wilson JC, Flagan RC, Seinfeld JH, Jonsson HH, VanReken TM, Varutbangkul V, Rissman TA. Evidence for the Predominance of Mid-Tropospheric Aerosols as Subtropical Anvil Cloud Nuclei. Science 2004; 304:718-22. [PMID: 15118158 DOI: 10.1126/science.1094947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
NASA's recent Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers-Florida Area Cirrus Experiment focused on anvil cirrus clouds, an important but poorly understood element of our climate system. The data obtained included the first comprehensive measurements of aerosols and cloud particles throughout the atmospheric column during the evolution of multiple deep convective storm systems. Coupling these new measurements with detailed cloud simulations that resolve the size distributions of aerosols and cloud particles, we found several lines of evidence indicating that most anvil crystals form on mid-tropospheric rather than boundary-layer aerosols. This result defies conventional wisdom and suggests that distant pollution sources may have a greater effect on anvil clouds than do local sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann M Fridlind
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.
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Soden BJ, Turner DD, Lesht BM, Miloshevich LM. An analysis of satellite, radiosonde, and lidar observations of upper tropospheric water vapor from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004. [DOI: 10.1029/2003jd003828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Brian J. Soden
- Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Princeton New Jersey USA
| | - David D. Turner
- Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Madison Wisconsin USA
| | - Barry M. Lesht
- Environmental Research Division; Argonne National Laboratory; Argonne Illinois USA
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Fueglistaler S, Wernli H, Peter T. Tropical troposphere-to-stratosphere transport inferred from trajectory calculations. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004. [DOI: 10.1029/2003jd004069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Fueglistaler
- Atmospheric and Climate Science, Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule; Zürich Switzerland
| | - H. Wernli
- Atmospheric and Climate Science, Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule; Zürich Switzerland
| | - T. Peter
- Atmospheric and Climate Science, Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule; Zürich Switzerland
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Küpper C. Mass and water transport into the tropical stratosphere: A cloud-resolving simulation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2004. [DOI: 10.1029/2004jd004541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Massie S. Halogen Occultation Experiment and Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II observations of tropopause cirrus and aerosol during the 1990s. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2003. [DOI: 10.1029/2002jd002662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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