Water Vapor in the Upper Troposphere above Syowa Station in the Antarctic: Its Variations and Causes

Abstract

An intensive balloon-borne observation was performed at Syowa Station in the Antarctic (69.0°S, 39.6°E) in July 2016 using Cryogenic Frostpoint Hygrometers (CFH) and Electrochemical Concentration Cell (ECC) ozonesondes. High water vapor concentration was observed in the upper troposphere in two out of five observations. Trajectory analysis and atmospheric reanalysis data showed that moist air was transported into the upper troposphere due to the upwelling in front of a trough. While only isentropic transport was dominant in one case, both the isentropic transport and diabatic heating contributed to the upward transport in the other case. In another case where the air parcels came over the Antarctic continent, the water vapor concentration in the upper troposphere was lower than in the other cases. These results suggest that transport of air parcels with different origins by synoptic-scale disturbances controls water vapor concentration in the Antarctic upper troposphere.