Global temperature variations in the troposphere and stratosphere, 1958-1982.

Abstract

A network of 63 well-distributed radiosonde stations has been used to estimate mean-annual temperature variations at the surface and for 85-30k Pa (850-300 mb), 30-10 kPa, 10-5 kPa, 10-3 kPa, and surface 10 kPa layers for five climatic zones, both hemispheres, and the world for the interval 1958-81. At the surface and in the 85- 30 kPa layer there was global cooling of about 0.5oC between 1958 and about 1970, and global warming since, with 1980 and 1981 values approximately 0.1oC warmer than observed in 1958 and 1959. However, an update using seasonal data indicates appreciable cooling again between the northern springs of 1981 and 1982.-from Authors