Evidence of seasonally dependent stratosphere‐troposphere exchange and purging of lower stratospheric aerosol from a multiyear lidar data set

Abstract

Tropospheric and lower stratospheric aerosol backscatter data obtained from a calibrated backscatter lidar at Pasadena, California (34°N latitude) over the 1984–1993 period clearly indicate tightly coupled aerosol optical properties in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere in the winter and early spring, due to the active midlatitude stratospheric‐tropospheric (ST) exchange processes occurring at this time of year. Lidar data indicate that during pre‐Pinatubo background conditions, the subsequent purging of the aerosol in the upper troposphere caused a significant reduction in the aerosol content throughout the 8–18 km altitude region in the early spring period. The post‐Pinatubo evidence of intense exchange in the winter and early spring is a significant increase in the upper tropospheric aerosol content, such that the backscatter levels reach values nearly equivalent to the enhanced backscatter levels existing in the lower stratosphere. The calculated stratospheric mass extrusion rate is consistent with a 45‐day lifetime of lower stratospheric aerosol during this part of the year, which implies that midlatitude ST exchange is a significant sink for stratospheric aerosol.