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Climatology of tropopause folds at midlatitudes
Author(s) -
Van Haver Philippe,
De Muer Dirk,
Beekmann Matthias,
Mancier Christelle
Publication year - 1996
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 - 10.1029/96gl00956
Subject(s) - tropopause , stratosphere , troposphere , middle latitudes , atmospheric sciences , climatology , quasi biennial oscillation , environmental science , ozone , fold (higher order function) , deposition (geology) , geology , meteorology , geography , mechanical engineering , paleontology , sediment , engineering
A statistical analysis of a 25 years time series of routine ozone soundings at Uccle (51°48′N, 4°21′E) reveals that the frequency of tropopause folds is, within the limits of uncertainty, similar for all seasons. On the average, 4.8% of the ozone profiles show the presence of a fold whereas a shorter time series of soundings (1985–1993) obtained at the Observatoire de Haute Provence (43°54′N, 5°45′E) yields only a 2% fraction of folds. The difference between both stations is however riot entirely statistically significant. The average wet and dry β artificial radioactivity deposition in the sixties and early seventies was at a maximum at Uccle around June, in good agreement with global Sr‐90 wet deposition measurements (Volchok and Kleinman, 1971) suggesting that stratosphere‐troposphere exchange is more important during spring compared to the rest of the year. This leads to the hypothesis that, if tropopause folds are the major agent of stratosphere‐troposphere exchange (STE), they may be more efficient in spring than in autumn.