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A reinterpretation of the data from the NASA Stratosphere‐Troposphere Exchange Project
Author(s) -
Newman Paul A.,
Schoeberl Mark R.
Publication year - 1995
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 - 10.1029/95gl02220
Subject(s) - stratosphere , troposphere , potential vorticity , atmospheric sciences , advection , gravity wave , environmental science , geology , tropopause , climatology , meteorology , vorticity , vortex , physics , gravitational wave , astronomy , thermodynamics
Data obtained during the NASA Stratosphere Troposphere Exchange Project (STEP) Mid‐Latitude Field Experiment displayed laminae of ozone, water, and condensation nuclei in the stratosphere in association with a mid‐latitude stratosphere‐troposphere folding event. Danielsen et al. (1991) constructed cross sections of these observations, and interpreted these quasi‐horizontal laminae as evidence of ultra‐low frequency gravity waves. We use a new technique to show that these laminae could have resulted from differential advection, rather than transport by ultra‐low frequency gravity waves. This new technique uses reverse domain filling back trajectories on multiple isentropic surfaces in conjunction with modified potential vorticity to reveal the qualitative details of the constituent laminae.