 |
| Titel |
Characteristics of Arctic low-tropospheric humidity inversions based on radio soundings |
| VerfasserIn |
T. Nygård, T. Valkonen, T. Vihma |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
|
| Sprache |
Englisch
|
| ISSN |
1680-7316
|
| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ; 14, no. 4 ; Nr. 14, no. 4 (2014-02-20), S.1959-1971 |
| Datensatznummer |
250118414
|
| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/acp-14-1959-2014.pdf |
|
|
|
|
|
| Zusammenfassung |
| Humidity inversions have a high potential importance in the Arctic climate
system, especially for cloud formation and maintenance, in wide spatial and
temporal scales. Here we investigate the climatology and characteristics of
humidity inversions in the Arctic, including their spatial and temporal
variability, sensitivity to the methodology applied and differences from the
Antarctic humidity inversions. The study is based on data of the Integrated
Global Radiosonde Archive (IGRA) from 36 Arctic stations between the years
2000 and 2009. The results indicate that humidity inversions are present on
multiple levels nearly all the time in the Arctic atmosphere. Almost half
(48%) of the humidity inversions were found at least partly within the
same vertical layer with temperature inversions, whereas the existence of
the other half may, at least partly, be linked to uneven vertical
distribution of horizontal moisture transport. A high atmospheric surface
pressure was found to increase the humidity inversion occurrence, whereas
relationships between humidity inversion properties and cloud cover were
generally relatively weak, although for some inversion properties they were
systematic. For example, humidity inversions occurred slightly more often
and were deeper under clear sky than in overcast conditions for almost
all stations. The statistics of Arctic humidity inversion properties,
especially inversion strength, depth and base height, proved to be very
sensitive to the instruments and methodology applied. For example, the
median strength of the strongest inversion in a profile was twice as large
as the median of all Arctic inversions. The most striking difference between
the Arctic and Antarctic humidity inversions was the much larger range of
the seasonal cycle of inversion properties in the Arctic. Our results offer
a baseline for validation of weather prediction and climate models and also
encourage further studies on humidity inversions due to the vital, but so
far poorly understood, role of humidity inversions in Arctic cloud
processes. |
| |
|
| Teil von |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|