Articles | Volume 23, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3887-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-3887-2023
Research article
 | 
03 Apr 2023
Research article |  | 03 Apr 2023

Mean age from observations in the lowermost stratosphere: an improved method and interhemispheric differences

Thomas Wagenhäuser, Markus Jesswein, Timo Keber, Tanja Schuck, and Andreas Engel

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Cited articles

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Birner, T. and Bönisch, H.: Residual circulation trajectories and transit times into the extratropical lowermost stratosphere, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 817–827, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-817-2011, 2011. 
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Short summary
A common assumption to derive mean age from trace gas observations is that all air enters the stratosphere through the tropical tropopause. Using SF6 as an age tracer, this leads to negative mean age values close to the Northern Hemispheric extra-tropical tropopause. Our improved method also considers extra-tropical input into the stratosphere. More realistic values are derived using this method. Interhemispheric differences in mean age are found when comparing data from two aircraft campaigns.
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