In situ evidence of rapid, vertical, irreversible transport of lower tropospheric air into the lower tropical stratosphere by convective cloud turrets and by larger-scale upwelling in tropical cyclones

Journal Article · Thu May 20 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/92JD02954· OSTI ID:6317146

Danielsen, E F ^[1]

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1. NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA (United States)

The author describes evidence from three different cloud types observed in the Australian monsoon, continental-maritime convective, maritime convective, and tropical cyclones, which contribute to transport of tropospheric air masses into the lower stratosphere. Measurements were made from ER-2 aircraft flying out of Darwin, Australia, equipped to measure an array of different parameters, including water vapor, temperatures, pressures, radon, etc. Maritime environmental conditions do not produce as much bouyancy for ascending air masses near Darwin, as do continental-maritime conditions when intense solar heating over the arid continental center of Australia heat and drys air masses which flow over the moist surface marine layers and have bouyancy to allow deep penetration into the lower stratosphere. For the tropical cyclones, their large scale, slower ascending air seems to mix into the stratosphere by gravity wave generation, which produces turbulence enough to drive air mass mixing across the inversions which cap these features.

• OSTI ID: 6317146
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 98:D5; ISSN JGREA2; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540110*
540120 -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
AIR
ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION
AUSTRALASIA
AUSTRALIA
CONVECTION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELEMENTS
ENERGY TRANSFER
FLUIDS
GASES
HEAT TRANSFER
HEATING
MASS TRANSFER
MIXING
NATURAL CONVECTION
NONMETALS
RADON
RARE GASES
SOLAR HEATING
STRATOSPHERE
TROPOSPHERE
TURBULENCE
UPWELLING
VAPORS
WATER VAPOR