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An investigation of the Arctic inversion using COSMIC RO observations
Author(s) -
Ganeshan Manisha,
Wu Dong L.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8996
pISSN - 2169-897X
DOI - 10.1002/2015jd023058
Subject(s) - inversion (geology) , arctic , sea ice , climatology , environmental science , radio occultation , geology , arctic ice pack , atmospheric sciences , ionosphere , oceanography , geophysics , tectonics , paleontology
The stable temperature inversion over sea ice plays an important role in the surface climate of the Arctic Ocean through direct and indirect feedbacks. Although several studies have investigated Arctic inversion characteristics such as height, depth, and frequency, there are significant challenges for long‐term climate monitoring mainly due to limited sampling over the ocean and/or poor resolution of available observations. This study investigates the Arctic temperature inversion during the cold season using the high‐resolution refractivity profiles from Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) radio occultation (RO). For the coldest and driest months in the Arctic, a reliable retrieval technique for boundary layer properties, such as inversion height and surface‐based inversion (SBI) frequency, is developed. We find that these variables have a strong negative relationship over the Arctic Ocean and are well correlated in the time and space domain. The spatial patterns show a minimum inversion height (maximum SBI frequency) over the ice‐covered Pacific sector of the ocean similar to that observed in past studies. Seasonal evolution of the inversion characteristics suggests a surface temperature control over the sea ice region, with the peak in SBI frequency occurring during the transition period from winter to spring. There is little diurnal variability in the mean inversion height during the cold season. Despite its limitations, the RO refractivity profile is found quite useful for monitoring the Arctic boundary layer, including interannual variability of inversion characteristics.