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Identification of tropopause using bending angle profile from GPS radio occultation (RO): A radio tropopause
Author(s) -
Narayana Rao D.,
Ratnam M. Venkat,
Murthy B. V. Krishna,
Rao V. V. M. Jagannadha,
Mehta Sanjay Kumar,
Nath Debashis,
Basha S. Ghouse
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2007gl029709
Subject(s) - tropopause , radio occultation , lapse rate , radiosonde , altitude (triangle) , atmospheric sciences , stratosphere , environmental science , geology , meteorology , ionosphere , physics , geophysics , mathematics , geometry
In this paper, it is shown that the altitude of the tropopause can be determined directly from the profile of Bending Angle ( α ) of GPS RO (hereafter called as Radio Tropopause, RT) instead of from the derived parameter of temperature which needs further assumptions like hydrostatic equilibrium. Above the altitude range of moist atmosphere, the altitude of peak in α ′(=d α /dh) profiles above which it decreases for at least 1 km is defined as the RT. The RT altitude is compared with the cold point tropopause (CPT)/lapse rate tropopause (LRT) altitude from independent measurements of temperature by the radiosonde at different stations. A very good agreement is observed between the tropopause altitudes from these two independent techniques. Particularly at polar latitudes, where it is often difficult to identify the tropopause altitude from temperature profiles, the present method is a more reliable means of identifying the tropopause.