Summary

The composition of the stratosphere is driven by transport, temperatures and processes in the tropical tropopause layer – this has implications for ozone, radiation, and surface climate. The properties of the tropical tropopause layer have changed in recent decades, e.g. increases in greenhouse gases (GHGs), and associated changes in dynamics, have cooled the tropical tropopause layer, and the Brewer Dobson Circulation strength has increased. From 1984 to 2005, ozone in the tropical tropopause layer declined, affecting radiative forcing in the tropical tropopause layer region. Water vapour in the tropical tropopause layer modulates much of the chemistry that affects ozone, sulfur and halogen compounds. As a result, understanding water vapour transport through the tropical tropopause layer, its chemical interactions with trace species, and associated aerosol and cloud formation, is a prerequisite to understanding the processing of short-lived substances in the tropical tropopause layer. Here, we compare models for their description of the dehydration processes through the tropical tropopause layer and the influence of convection. Convective treatments are compared - considering models with convective parameterization to those that include cloud-resolving regimes.

Authors:Schofield R. Lane T. Wohltmann I. Rex M. Published in: 2013 Category 3: Verbal presentation Program area: Climate Processes and Change
Read publication at scar2012.geol.pdx.edu
Schofield R., Lane T., Wohltmann I., Rex M. (2013) Tropical tropopause layer processes driving stratospheric composition - focus on polar ozone relevant species, XXXII SCAR and Open Science Conference, Portland, Oregon, USA, 13-25 July 2012 .; http://scar2012.geol.pdx.edu/;

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