Articles | Volume 22, issue 23
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-15559-2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-15559-2022
Research article
 | 
12 Dec 2022
Research article |  | 12 Dec 2022

Vertical structure of the lower-stratospheric moist bias in the ERA5 reanalysis and its connection to mixing processes

Konstantin Krüger, Andreas Schäfler, Martin Wirth, Martin Weissmann, and George C. Craig

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Subject: Dynamics | Research Activity: Remote Sensing | Altitude Range: Stratosphere | Science Focus: Physics (physical properties and processes)
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Cited articles

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Short summary
A comprehensive data set of airborne lidar water vapour profiles is compared with ERA5 reanalyses for a robust characterization of the vertical structure of the mid-latitude lower-stratospheric moist bias. We confirm a moist bias of up to 55 % at 1.3 km altitude above the tropopause and uncover a decreasing bias beyond. Collocated O3 and H2O observations reveal a particularly strong bias in the mixing layer, indicating insufficiently modelled transport processes fostering the bias.
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