The Diurnal Temperature Range of the Middle Stratosphere

Abstract

An attempt is made to determine empirically the diurnal temperature range between 24 and 36 km, by using means of 12-hr temperature differences obtained from successive rawinsonde observations over North America. With a technique for isolating effects of solar radiation on the radiosonde instrument, it has become possible to construct a model of the middle stratospheric daily temperature variation. According to this model, the temperature reaches a maximum near sunset and a minimum near sunrise. The amplitude of the oscillation is found to increase with altitude between the 30- and 5-mb levels and to depend on latitude. A seasonal effect is strongly suggested.