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Observed episodic warming at 86 and 100 km between 1990 and 1997: Effects of Mount Pinatubo Eruption
Author(s) -
She C. Y.,
Thiel Steven W.,
Krueger David A.
Publication year - 1998
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 - 10.1029/98gl00178
Subject(s) - mesopause , middle latitudes , climatology , atmospheric sciences , lidar , stratosphere , environmental science , residual , latitude , vulcanian eruption , atmospheric temperature , geology , mesosphere , volcano , geodesy , remote sensing , algorithm , seismology , computer science
Along with initial observations, our regular lidar temperature measurements over Fort Collins, CO (41°N, 105°W) in the rarely probed mesopause region has resulted in a unique seven‐year data set between 1990 and 1997. After the seasonal variations are removed, a clear episodic warming is observable in the time series of residual temperatures. Least squares fitting the residual temperatures to an episodic impact function plus a linear trend shows maximum temperature increases occurring in 1993 with magnitudes of 9.0±1.7 K and 12.9±1.8 K, at 86 km and 100 km, respectively. By association, we attribute the Mount Pinatubo eruption in June, 1991, as the most probable primary cause for the observed warming, supporting a connection between tropical stratospheric aerosol and temperatures in a midlatitude mesopause region. It is hoped that our lidar observation from a single location will stimulate similar investigations at other latitudes and longitudes.