Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds, and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys (SEAC4RS)
Bob Herman presented a new analysis of convective injection of water into the stratosphere at the 2015 SEAC4RS Science Team Meeting (April 28 to May 1) at Caltech.
The JPL Laser Hygrometer Mark2 (JLH Mark2) measured large enhancements in stratospheric water from the NASA ER-2 aircraft during the SEAC4RS campaign. On five of the SEAC4RS flights, JLH measured enhanced stratospheric water greater than 7 ppmv over the summertime continental United States (CONUS). The JLH Mark2 instrument team consists of R. Herman (PI), R. Troy, R. Stachnik, and K. Chin. T. P. Bui (NASA ARC) provided correlated pressure and temperature measurements. See Figure 1 below for a sample water vapor profile.
Figure 1. Water vapor profile from JLH Mark2, August 27, 2013.
Trajectory modeling (E. Ray and K. Rosenlof, NOAA ESRL) connected the observed air parcels to overshooting convection from one to seven days earlier. Seven-day back trajectories were run with the FLEXPART model and NCEP CFS meteorology. Overshooting top detection products were obtained from GOES-East infrared satellite imagery (K. Bedka, NASA LaRC). Ice lofted by convection subsequently sublimated into water vapor in the stratosphere. See Figure 2 for example back trajectories and overshooting tops.
