Upper Troposphere - Lower Stratosphere (UTLS)

Scientific Objectives

The Satellite Data Analysis and UTLS Group in ACOM focuses on studies of global scale chemical behavior using satellite measurements, aircraft campaigns, meteorological data sets and model simulations. Recent work has focused on understanding the chemical and dynamical behavior of the tropopause region, and its long-term variability, to help quantify processes which contribute to coupling in the upper troposphere - lower stratosphere (UTLS).

Current and Ongoing Research Topics

1. Dynamics, chemistry, and microphysics in the TTL using satellite and aircraft data.
2. UTLS transport studies including transport in the Asian monsoon and North American monsoon regions.
3. Large scale circulation and convection
4. Thermal variability an dtmperature trends in the lower stratosphere using satellite data.
5. Improving cloud processes in global models using airborne campaign observations.

Recent and Ongoing Projects

1. Recent Airborne Field Campaigns:

   1. SEAC⁴RS (Studies of Emissions and Atmospheric Composition, Clouds, and Climate Coupling by Regional Surveys), August-September 2013
   2. ATTREX (Airborne Tropical TRopopause Experiment), 2011-2015
   3. CONTRAST (CONvective Transport of Active Species in the Tropics), January-February 2014
2. SPARC and IGAC Activities:
   
   1. Stratosphere Temperature Trend
   2. ACAM (Atmospheric Composition and the Asian Summer Monsoon)
      • SPARC
      • IGAC
      • ACAM Workshop- Kathmandu 2013 and Bangkok 2015
   3. CCMI