A Case Study Using Ozone to Determine Structure and Air Motions at the Tropopause

Abstract

Data from an instrumented U-2 aircraft, an ozonesonde and standard radiosondes provided detailed meteorological and ozone data on 2 October 1963 in the vicinity of the tropopause over a stretch of several hundred miles. These observations are used to describe the small-scale structure and motions of the tropopause in a region removed from the jet stream. The tropopause surface appeared to have a wave-like structure which was identifiable over a 2-hr period as the wave moved with the winds at the tropopause level. Furthermore, descending motion of 1.5 cm per sec was computed on the stratospheric side of the more inclined portion of the tropopause, while on the tropospheric side the air maintained constant height.