The Influence of the Lower Stratosphere and Tropical Tropopause Layer on Tropical Cyclones

Susan Solomon’s wide ranging interests led her to inquire whether processes in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) and lower stratosphere might affect tropospheric weather systems. I will discuss our collaborative work on the effect of TTL temperature on tropical cyclone potential intensity and present some updated results on trends in tropical cyclone outflow temperature, with a discussion of how, more generally, tropical cyclones might be affected by TTL and lower stratospheric processes.