Shah and Rind 1998

Shah, K.P., and D. Rind, 1998: Comparing upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric temperatures: Microwave sounding unit, radiosonde, COSPAR International Reference Atmosphere, and National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis monthly-mean climatologies. J. Geophys. Res., 103, 31569-31592, doi:10.1029/98JD02452.

Climate-modeling groups are having to assess their models' temperatures at high, thinly-observed altitudes in order to investigate near-tropopause forcings with confidence. To support such analyses, the microwave sounding unit (MSU), GFDL/Oort Radiosonde, COSPAR International Reference Atmosphere (CIRA), and new 13-year National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) Reanalysis Project climatologies are intercompared herein in terms of their monthly-mean microwave brightness temperatures (T_b). In the lower stratosphere these climatologies agree extremely well. Small differences between NCEP/NCAR and MSU T_b centered at about 80 mbar amount to ~2 K year-round across the tropics and ~5 K in southern winter polar latitudes. Artificial land-ocean outlines ~2 K do appear in maps of the NCEP/NCAR lower stratospheric T_b between 30°S-30°N. This NCEP/NCAR T_b land-ocean distinction may be due to sparseness of inputed radiosonde data at lower stratospheric heights not compensated for by satellite retrievals in the NCEP/NCAR assimilation process. In the upper troposphere, good agreement again occurs between the GFDL radiosonde, the CIRA, and the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis T_b. However, the experimental MSU channel 3R climatology has markedly cooler upper tropospheric T_b. Coolness peaks at over 6 K across low latitudes and diminishes to a few K at polar latitudes with little seasonal dependence. MSU channel 3R's cool bias is likely due to a combination of channel 3 receiver drift and limb darkening problems. Latitudinal correction terms are suggested for this experimental, but valuable, MSU product based on comparisons with calculated NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis T_b.

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Shah, K.P., and Rind, D.: Comparing upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric temperatures: Microwave sounding unit, radiosonde, COSPAR International Reference Atmosphere, and National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis monthly-mean climatologies, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 31569-31592, doi:10.1029/98JD02452, 1998.

Shah, K.P., and D. Rind (1998), Comparing upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric temperatures: Microwave sounding unit, radiosonde, COSPAR International Reference Atmosphere, and National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis monthly-mean climatologies, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 31569-31592, doi:10.1029/98JD02452.

Shah, K.P., and D. Rind, 1998: Comparing upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric temperatures: Microwave sounding unit, radiosonde, COSPAR International Reference Atmosphere, and National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis monthly-mean climatologies. J. Geophys. Res., 103, 31569-31592, doi:10.1029/98JD02452.

Shah, K.P., & Rind, D. 1998, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 31569, doi:10.1029/98JD02452.

Shah KP, Rind D. Comparing upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric temperatures: Microwave sounding unit, radiosonde, COSPAR International Reference Atmosphere, and National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research reanalysis monthly-mean climatologies, J Geophys Res 1998;103:31569-31592. doi:10.1029/98JD02452.

K.P. Shah, D. Rind, J. Geophys. Res. 103, 31569-31592, doi:10.1029/98JD02452 (1998).