Abstract
Comment
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Oral
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IAMAS
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M10 - Middle Atmosphere Symposium
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Observed trends in lapse rate tropopause temperature and height over the past two decades
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1. Florian , Ladstadter, Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change,University of Graz
2. Matthias , Stocker, Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change,University of Graz
3. Sebastian , Scher, Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change,University of Graz
4. Andrea , Steiner*, Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change,University of Graz
*Presenting Author
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The tropopause is a sensitive indicator of both radiative and dynamic changes in the atmospheric climate system. This study presents a global analysis of lapse-rate tropopause (LRT) trends using satellite-based data for the period 2002-2024. The evaluation of regional and seasonal resolved LRT height and LRT temperature is performed using GNSS radio occultation measurements, which are particularly well suited for observing the tropopause region with high vertical resolution and global coverage. In addition, GNSS radio occultation provides long-term stable measurements that allow robust detection of tropopause trends. Our results indicate pronounced zonal and meridional variations in LRT temperature trends, with certain regions exhibiting significant warming while others show no substantial trends. In particular, the tropics show LRT warming but no trend in LRT height. Additionally, we observe distinct seasonal patterns of trends in LRT temperature and height, with particularly pronounced trends in the Pacific region in the Northern Hemisphere winter. A spatially and seasonally resolved view of LRT trends is thus required for a complete picture of the changes in the tropopause region.