Articles | Volume 23, issue 22
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14375-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14375-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
20 Nov 2023
Research article |
| 20 Nov 2023
| 20 Nov 2023
Climatology, sources, and transport characteristics of observed water vapor extrema in the lower stratosphere
School of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
Cameron R. Homeyer
School of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA
Related authors
Emily Nicole Tinney and William J. Randel
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-412, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-412, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Short summary
Water vapor in the stratosphere plays an important role in Earth’s climate. The moist lower atmosphere and the drier stratosphere meet at the tropopause, creating a complex transition region. Using satellite observations and computer model simulations, this study examines how water vapor varies with height and over time near this boundary. We find that satellite datasets disagree on long-term changes, but consistently show that this transition layer extends about 2.5 kms into the stratosphere.
Emily Nicole Tinney and William J. Randel
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-412, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-412, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
Short summary
Short summary
Water vapor in the stratosphere plays an important role in Earth’s climate. The moist lower atmosphere and the drier stratosphere meet at the tropopause, creating a complex transition region. Using satellite observations and computer model simulations, this study examines how water vapor varies with height and over time near this boundary. We find that satellite datasets disagree on long-term changes, but consistently show that this transition layer extends about 2.5 kms into the stratosphere.
Andrea E. Gordon, Cameron R. Homeyer, Jessica B. Smith, Rei Ueyama, Jonathan M. Dean-Day, Elliot L. Atlas, Kate Smith, Jasna V. Pittman, David S. Sayres, David M. Wilmouth, Apoorva Pandey, Jason M. St. Clair, Thomas F. Hanisco, Jennifer Hare, Reem A. Hannun, Steven Wofsy, Bruce C. Daube, and Stephen Donnelly
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 7591–7608, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7591-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-7591-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In situ airborne observations of ongoing tropopause-overshooting convection and an above-anvil cirrus plume from the 31 May 2022 flight of the Dynamics and Chemistry of the Summer Stratosphere (DCOTSS) field campaign are examined. Upper troposphere and lower stratosphere composition changes are evaluated along with possible contributing dynamical and physical processes. Measurements reveal multiple changes in air mass composition and stratospheric hydration throughout the flight.
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Short summary
A long-term record of satellite observations is used to study extreme water vapor concentrations in the lower stratosphere, which are important to climate variability and change. We use a deeper layer of stratospheric observations than prior work to more comprehensively identify these events. We show that extreme water vapor concentrations are frequent, especially in the lowest layers of the stratosphere that have not been analyzed previously.
A long-term record of satellite observations is used to study extreme water vapor concentrations...
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