HR: 16:15h
AN: A44C-02    [Abstracts]
TI: Discoveries in Correlations of Upper Tropospheric Temperature, Water Vapor and Cloud Ice From MLS.
AU: * Schwartz, M J
EM: michael.j.schwartz@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 183-701 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099 United States
AU: Su, H
EM: Hui.Su@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 183-701 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099 United States
AU: Jiang, J H
EM: Jonathan.H.Jiang@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 183-701 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099 United States
AU: Wu, D L
EM: Dong.L.Wu@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 183-701 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099 United States
AU: Read, W G
EM: William.G.Read@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 183-701 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099 United States
AU: Li, J F
EM: Juilin.F.Li@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 183-701 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099 United States
AU: Waliser, D E
EM: Duane.E.Waliser@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 183-701 4800 Oak Grove Dr, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099 United States
AB: MLS on EOS provides an unprecedented, collocated set of global measurements including upper-tropospheric temperature, water vapor (H2O) and cloud ice water content (IWC). This work examines correlations among these fields, with emphasis upon the tropical upper tropopause (UT) (MLS 315~hPa and 215~hPa levels) and upon the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) (MLS 100~hPa level.) In preliminary analyses, tropical UT temperature appears to be controlled by deep convection, with higher temperatures associated with cloud ice. Temperature and relative humidity are not well correlated. In the TTL, high relative humidity and high ice water content are correlated with a cold tropopause, particularly in the western Pacific. In the UT, deep convection and associated clouds tend to increase H2O, while cloud formation dehydrates the atmosphere near the tropopause. The contrast between UT and TTL in the correlations of H2O, IWC and temperature found in the MLS data will be compared with that in the ECMWF and NCEP analyses. The impact of the limited vertical resolution of MLS temperature products upon the resolution of tropopause cold-point temperatures will be discussed.
DE: 0350 Pressure, density, and temperature
DE: 0368 Troposphere: constituent transport and chemistry
SC: Atmospheric Sciences [A]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005