Articles | Volume 25, issue 22
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-16303-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-16303-2025
Research article
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20 Nov 2025
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 20 Nov 2025

The frosty frontier: redefining the mid-latitude tropopause using the relative humidity over ice

Philipp Reutter and Peter Spichtinger

Data sets

The Frosty Frontier: Redefining the mid-latitude Tropopause using the Relative Humidity over Ice Philipp Reutter https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17185122

Model code and software

The Frosty Frontier: Redefining the mid-latitude Tropopause using the Relative Humidity over Ice Philipp Reutter https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17185122

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Executive editor
The new definition of the tropopause integrates various physical processes and relies on a simple detection algorithm. This new approach puts the focus on the tropopause as a transport hindrance for water vapor. It has the potential to replace or complement traditional analysis techniques and to provide a clearer picture of the transition between the troposphere and the stratosphere.
Short summary
We present a new technique to determine the tropopause based on the gradient of relative humidity over ice. This approach captures the character of the tropopause remarkably well, both in individual vertical profiles and in long-term averages, providing a consistent and physically meaningful representation of the transition between the troposphere and the stratosphere.
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