Dynamical evolution of the 2003 southern hemisphere stratospheric winter using Envisat trace‐gas observations

Data from the MIPAS instrument on Envisat, supplemented by meteorological analyses from ECMWF and the Met Office, are used to study the meteorological and trace‐gas evolution of the stratosphere in the southern hemisphere during winter and spring 2003. A pole‐centred approach is used to interpret th...

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Published inQuarterly journal of the Royal Meteorological Society Vol. 132; no. 619; pp. 1985 - 2008
Main Authors Lahoz, W. A., Geer, A. J., O'neill, A.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.07.2006
Wiley
Subjects
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
External geophysics
Filamentation
Physics of the high neutral atmosphere
Polar vortex
Tides, waves, convection, winds, turbulence
Tracer transport
time series analysis
Polar vortex
Southern Hemisphere
Anticyclone
tracers
Space remote sensing
Trace compound
Satellite observation
Atmospheric dynamics
Tracer transport
Winter
2003
Spring(season)
Antarctic stratospheric vortex
warming
Observation data
Filamentation
atmospheric circulation
stratosphere
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Summary:Data from the MIPAS instrument on Envisat, supplemented by meteorological analyses from ECMWF and the Met Office, are used to study the meteorological and trace‐gas evolution of the stratosphere in the southern hemisphere during winter and spring 2003. A pole‐centred approach is used to interpret the data in the physically meaningful context of the evolving stratospheric polar vortex. The following salient dynamical and transport features are documented and analysed: the merger of anticyclones in the stratosphere; the development of an intense, quasi‐stationary anticyclone in spring; the associated top‐down breakdown of the polar vortex; the systematic descent of air into the polar vortex; and the formation of a three‐dimensional structure of a tracer filament on a planetary scale. The paper confirms and extends existing paradigms of the southern hemisphere vortex evolution. The quality of the MIPAS observations is seen to be generally good, though the water vapour retrievals are unrealistic above 10 hPa in the high‐latitude winter. Copyright © 2006 Royal Meteorological Society
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ISSN:0035-9009
1477-870X
DOI:10.1256/qj.05.221