An Overview of Tropopause Heights Observed During the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project

The tropopause is defined as the transition layer between the troposphere and stratosphere. There are several more complex ways to define this layer of the atmosphere, including potential vorticity and static stability. A double tropopause can form in some instances, and can be seen in radiosondes observations. This research provides an overview of the characteristics of single and double tropopauses from the most recent eclipses using data retrieved by the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) SUNY Oswego Team. Characteristics include temperature, altitude, and the lapse rate definition for defining the tropopause given by the World Meteorological Association (WMO). For each of the two eclipses observed, a total of 30 radiosondes were launched, each sounding accompanied by Grawmet software determined tropopause information. Both eclipses showed their similarities and differences when compared with one another, but future work utilizing additional tropopause identification metrics is needed.