Interannual Changes in Northern Hemispheric Tropospheric Temperatures, 1960-1989

• Main Author: Herbert, Gary A.
• Other Authors: ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LABS BOULDER CO CLIMATE MONITORING AND DIAGNOSTIC LAB
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1992
• Subjects: Meteorology; *SEASONS; *TEMPERATURE; *MONITORING; *TROPOSPHERE; *METEOROLOGICAL DATA; COMPARISON; COOLING; GEOPOTENTIAL; POLAR REGIONS; RADIOSONDES; REGIONS; SURFACE TEMPERATURE; THICKNESS; VOLCANOES; GREENHOUSE EFFECT; ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT; NORTHERN HEMISPHERE; *Global climate change; Component Reports; International temperature changes; Canada; Fairbanks; Pacific; aleutian low; Alaska
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADP007281; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADP007281

Tropospheric temperatures were calculated from geopotential thicknesses based on analyzed data for two layers, 850-700 and 700-500 hPa, for the past three decades. Comparison of the interannual changes in thickness temperatures with radiosonde thickness temperature and surface temperatures show substantial agreement, especially at the time of major changes such as cooling periods after the eruption of the Agung and El Chichon volcanoes. The temperature increase between two 13-year periods, 1964-1976 and 1977-1989, was greatest the winter season at both levels. The increase in temperature of the 850-100 hPa layer exceeded that of 700-500 hPa layer for comparable times of the year and grids. The polar region showed the largest temperature change. A plot of the 850-700 hPa layer, winter temperature changes for the octagonal grid, shows the largest positive change over Alaska, northern Canada, and western China. The dominant cooling occurred over the north Pacific and western Europe. The warm-cold couplet in the north Pacific suggests a change in the strength of the Aleutian low. This article is from 'Proceedings of the International Conference on the Role of the Polar Regions in Global Change Held in Fairbanks, Alaska on 11-15 June 1990. Volume 1', AD-A253 027, p159-163.