A redistribution of water due to pileus cloud formation near the tropopause

T. J. Garrett (1) , C. Liu (1) , J. Dean-Day (2) , B. K. Barnett (3) , G. G. Mace (1) , D. G. Baumgardner (4) , C. R. Webster (5) , T. P. Bui (2) , W. G. Read (5)

1 Department of Meteorology [Salt Lake City]
2 Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics Branch [Moffett Field]
3 JSC - NASA Johnson Space Center
4 UNAM - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México = National Autonomous University of Mexico
5 JPL - Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Thin stratiform clouds called pileus can form in the earth's atmosphere when humid air is lifted above rising convection. In the lower troposphere pileus lifetimes are short, so they have been considered little more than an attractive curiosity. This paper describes pileus cloud forming near the tropopause at low-latitudes, and discusses how they may be associated with a redistribution of water vapor and ice at cold temperatures.

Domaines: Océan, Atmosphère

T. J. Garrett, C. Liu, J. Dean-Day, B. K. Barnett, G. G. Mace, et al.. A redistribution of water due to pileus cloud formation near the tropopause. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions, 2005, 5 (5), pp.8209-8232. ⟨hal-00301755⟩