Observed changes in the temperature and height of the globally resolved lapserate tropopause

Abstract

The tropopause is a key indicator of atmospheric climate change, influenced by both the troposphere and stratosphere. Here we present a global view of tropopause changes, using high-resolution GNSS radio occultation data from 2002 to 2024. We identify significant trends in lapse rate tropopause (LRT) temperature and height with seasonal and regional detail. The tropical LRT has warmed, with particularly strong warming (>1 K per decade) over the South Pacific during austral spring and summer, while height changes remain largely insignificant. Outside the tropics, LRT temperature changes are confined to southern high latitudes in winter, showing cooling of up to 1 K per decade. Notably, LRT height has increased significantly across most extratropical regions, with localized trends exceeding 200 m per decade over Asia and the Middle East during Northern Hemisphere winter. An exception is the LRT height decreases over the South Pacific, coinciding with a LRT warming in that region. These results highlight the interrelated effects of tropospheric and stratospheric changes and demonstrate the value of precise tropopause monitoring for detecting ongoing changes in the global climate system.