American Geophysical Union Become an AGU Member
Subscribe to AGU Journals		 AGU Home AGU Publications

Read Full Article (file size: 1454774 bytes)    Cited by

JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 109, D22101, doi:10.1029/2004JD004878, 2004

Impact of monsoon circulations on the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere

Andrew Gettelman

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA


Douglas E. Kinnison

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA


Timothy J. Dunkerton

Northwest Research Associates, Bellevue, Washington, USA


Guy P. Brasseur

National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado, USA
Max Plank Institute for Meteorology, Hamburg, Germany


Abstract

Observations from in situ aircraft and output from a global chemical transport model are used to better understand the impact of Northern Hemisphere summer monsoon circulations on stratosphere-troposphere exchange. A long-term model climatology resembles the satellite climatology of water vapor and ozone in the monsoon regions. A simulation with observed winds is able to reproduce individual transport events observed from aircraft, and these events are used to infer that large-scale motions and monsoon circulations can explain the global correlations of ozone and water vapor around the tropopause. A detailed analysis of model fluxes of water vapor and ozone indicates that the Asian monsoon circulation may contribute 75% of the total net upward water vapor flux in the tropics at tropopause levels from July to September. Some of this air may enter the tropical stratosphere and bypass the tropical tropopause altogether.

Received 7 April 2004; accepted 23 August 2004; published 17 November 2004.

Keywords: monsoon; stratosphere; ozone.

Index Terms: 0341 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Middle atmosphere—constituent transport and chemistry (3334); 3319 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: General circulation; 3374 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Tropical meteorology; 3362 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Stratosphere/troposphere interactions.

Read Full Article (file size: 1454774 bytes)    Cited by

Citation: Gettelman, A., D. E. Kinnison, T. J. Dunkerton, and G. P. Brasseur (2004), Impact of monsoon circulations on the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, J. Geophys. Res., 109, D22101, doi:10.1029/2004JD004878.