Troposphere-to-stratosphere transport in the lowermost stratosphere from measurements of H2O, CO2, N2O and O3

Abstract

The origin of air in the lowermost stratosphere is investigated with measurements from the NASA ER-2 aircraft. Air with high water vapor mixing ratios was observed in the stratosphere at θ~330-380 K near 40 in May 1995, indicating the influence of intrusions of tropospheric air. Assuming that observed tracer-tracer relationships reflect mixing lines between tropospheric and stratospheric air masses, we calculate mixing ratios of H2O (12-24 ppmv) and CO2 for the admixed tropospheric air at θ=352-364 K. Temperatures on the 355 K surface at 20-40 N were low enough to dehydrate air to these values. While most ER-2 CO2 data in both hemispheres are consistent with tropical or subtropical air entering the lowermost stratosphere, measurements from May 1995 for θ<362 K suggest that entry of air from the midlatitude upper troposphere can occur in conjunction with mixing processes near the tropopause.