Variability and trends in the potential vorticity (PV)-gradient dynamical tropopause

Turhal, Katharina; Plöger, Felix; Clemens, Jan; Birner, Thomas; Weyland, Franziska; Konopka, Paul; Hoor, Peter

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13653-2024

Articles | Volume 24, issue 23

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13653-2024

© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Special issue:

The SPARC Reanalysis Intercomparison Project (S-RIP) Phase...

https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13653-2024

© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 24, issue 23

Research article

|

11 Dec 2024

Research article |

| 11 Dec 2024

Variability and trends in the potential vorticity (PV)-gradient dynamical tropopause

Katharina Turhal, Felix Plöger, Jan Clemens, Thomas Birner, Franziska Weyland, Paul Konopka, and Peter Hoor

Data sets

PV-gradient (PVG) tropopause: Time series 1980--2017 in four reanalyses Katharina Turhal https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10529153

Complete ERA5 from 1940: Fifth generation of ECMWF atmospheric reanalyses of the global climate H. Hersbach et al. https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.143582cf

ERA-Interim global atmospheric reanalysis D. Dee et al. https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.f2f5241d

JRA-55: Japanese 55-year Reanalysis, Daily 3-Hourly and 6-Hourly Data Japan Meteorological Agency, Japan https://doi.org/10.5065/D6HH6H41

MERRA-2 inst3_3d_asm_Nv: 3d, 3-Hourly, Instantaneous, Model-Level, Assimilation, Assimilated Meteorological Fields V5.12.4 Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) https://doi.org/10.5067/WWQSXQ8IVFW8

Short summary

The tropopause separates the troposphere, where many greenhouse gases originate, from the stratosphere. This study examines a tropopause defined by potential vorticity – an analogue for angular momentum that changes sharply in the subtropics, creating a transport barrier. Between 1980 and 2017, this tropopause shifted poleward at lower altitudes and equatorward above, suggesting height-dependent changes in atmospheric circulation that may affect greenhouse gas distribution and global warming.