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| Titel |
Quantification of structural uncertainty in climate data records from GPS radio occultation |
| VerfasserIn |
A. K. Steiner, D. Hunt, S.-P. Ho, G. Kirchengast, A. J. Mannucci, B. Scherllin-Pirscher, H. Gleisner, A. Engeln, T. Schmidt, C. Ao, S. S. Leroy, E. R. Kursinski, U. Foelsche, M. Gorbunov, S. Heise, Y.-H. Kuo, K. B. Lauritsen, C. Marquardt, C. Rocken, W. Schreiner, S. Sokolovskiy, S. Syndergaard, J. Wickert |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| ISSN |
1680-7316
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| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ; 13, no. 3 ; Nr. 13, no. 3 (2013-02-06), S.1469-1484 |
| Datensatznummer |
250017641
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/acp-13-1469-2013.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| Global Positioning System (GPS) radio occultation (RO) has provided
continuous observations of the Earth's atmosphere since 2001 with global
coverage, all-weather capability, and high accuracy and vertical resolution
in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS). Precise time
measurements enable long-term stability but careful processing is needed.
Here we provide climate-oriented atmospheric scientists with
multicenter-based results on the long-term stability of RO climatological
fields for trend studies. We quantify the structural uncertainty of
atmospheric trends estimated from the RO record, which arises from current
processing schemes of six international RO processing centers, DMI
Copenhagen, EUM Darmstadt, GFZ Potsdam, JPL Pasadena, UCAR Boulder, and WEGC
Graz. Monthly-mean zonal-mean fields of bending angle, refractivity, dry
pressure, dry geopotential height, and dry temperature from the CHAMP
mission are compared for September 2001 to September 2008. We find that
structural uncertainty is lowest in the tropics and mid-latitudes
(50° S to 50° N) from 8 km to 25 km for all inspected
RO variables. In this region, the structural uncertainty in trends over 7 yr
is <0.03% for bending angle, refractivity, and pressure,
<3 m for geopotential height of pressure levels, and <0.06 K for temperature; low enough for detecting a climate change signal
within about a decade. Larger structural uncertainty above about 25 km and
at high latitudes is attributable to differences in the processing schemes,
which undergo continuous improvements. Though current use of RO for reliable
climate trend assessment is bound to 50° S to 50° N,
our results show that quality, consistency, and reproducibility are
favorable in the UTLS for the establishment of a climate benchmark record. |
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