Mid-winter lower stratosphere temperatures in the Antarctic vortex: comparison between observations and ECMWF operational model.

M. C. Parrondo (1) , M. Yela (1) , M. Gil (1) , P. von Der Gathen (2) , H. Ochoa (3)

1 INTA - Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial
2 Department of Bentho-pelagic processes
3 Direccion Nacional de Antártico

Radiosonde temperature profiles from Belgrano (78° S) and other Antarctic stations have been compared with European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) data during the winter of 2003. Results show a bias in the operational model which is height and temperature dependent, being too cold at layers peaking at 80 and 25?30 hPa, and hence resulting in an overestimation of the predicted potential PSC areas. Here we show the results of the comparison by considering the possibility of a bias in the sondes at extremely low temperatures and discuss the potential implications that this bias might have on the ozone depletion computed by Climate Transport Model based on ECMWF temperature fields.

Domaines: Océan, Atmosphère

M. C. Parrondo, M. Yela, M. Gil, P. von Der Gathen, H. Ochoa. Mid-winter lower stratosphere temperatures in the Antarctic vortex: comparison between observations and ECMWF operational model.. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions, 2006, 6 (4), pp.7697-7714. ⟨hal-00303950⟩