Changes in the Free Atmosphere

• Current News and Weather• Finish Drought• Data Sources• Weather Balloons• Tropospheric and Stratospheric

TemperaturesFor Next Class: Read IPCC AR5 Ch. 2 (pp. 223-235)

Data Sources for Analyzing Tropospheric Temperature Trends

RadiosondesFrom 2x daily upper air soundingsBegan in 1940s regionally, 1958 globally

Satellite Microwave Sounding UnitConverts measures of microwave emissions to temperatureData available since 1978

Global Reanalysis DataFrom numerical models

Weather Balloon Videohttps://vimeo.com/15091562https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDIYX_kj0iE

Atmospheric Soundings

dew point temperature wind speed/directiondew point temperature wind speed/direction

Andes Balloon Release

Andes Balloon Releasehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_6iQkwF9KA

Quelccaya Sounding: 0000 UTC 6 November 2014

cloud layer

ground

surface inversion

stratospheretropopause

The Tropopause

Vertical Weighting Functions and Tropopause Variations

LT = Lower Tropospheric TemperatureMT = Middle TroposphereLS = Lower Stratosphere

Dashed line = radiosonde height

contribution of altitude on the temperature detected by satellites

Observed Surface and Upper Air TemperatureAnomalies: 1950-2005

Stratosphere has cooled, but troposphere and surface

have warmed.

Major volcanic eruptions warmthe stratosphere, but cool the

troposphere and surface.

Altitude

Global and Tropical Trends in Atmospheric Temperatures

linear trends from variety of sources (radiosondes, satellites, reanalysis)

Linear Tropospheric Temperature Trends

Temperature Anomalies

Relative to 1981-2010 Climatology

MSU 1979-2012 trends (black ‘+’ indicate statistical significance)

Radiosonde 1958-2012 Upper Air Trends

Radiosonde and MSU 1979-2012 Upper Air Trends

Linear Trends of Precipitable

Water

Global-Mean Anomalies

Relative to 1988-2004 Period

Linear Trends of Upper-

Tropospheric Water

Global-Mean Anomalies

Relative to 1982-2004 Period