Large- scale temperature changes in the stratosphere observed from Nimbus III

Abstract

The radiances in the CO//2 band centered at 669. 3 cm- //1 (15U), measured by the satellite infrared spectrometer on Nimbus III, are examined. These radiances are a measure of weighted mean temperature of approximately the upper 100 mb of the atmosphere. A new result shows that stratospheric warnings in the winter hemisphere are accompanied by simultaneous coolings in the stratosphere of the tropics and the summer hemisphere. These out- of- phase changes caused by variations of the meridional circulation and large- scale eddies. Some irregular fluctuations are shown to occur everywhere.