Complexity signatures for short time scales in the atmosphere above Adventdalen, Svalbard

Atmospheric parameters from the troposphere above Adventdalen, Svalbard, 78°N, 16°E, are examined for signatures of complexity in their respective stochastic components over time scales from ~1 h to 1 year. Several approaches are used, all of which can estimate values of the generalized Hurst exponent, α , which can in turn be compared with each other and with similar independent characterizations, usually via the classic Hurst exponent, H , obtained from location‐specific and globally averaged time series. For tropopause altitude, the stochastic component exhibits the signature of a persistent fractional Gaussian noise (fGn) with α  ≈ 0.75. For surface air temperature, the indications are for fractional Brownian motion (fBm) with α  ≈ 1.4. Using recent high time‐resolution data from a single high‐latitude location, this identification of fBm is relevant for short‐term memory as opposed to findings from many other studies addressing possible long‐term memory, which demonstrate fGn with α  =  H  ≈ 0.7. Furthermore, the lack of similarity between the results for surface air temperature and tropopause altitude suggests that different underlying processes are responsible for stochastic variability.