Characterizing the Structure of Tropopause Polar Vortices Using Satellite Remote Sensing

Tropopause polar vortices (TPVs) are higher-end mesoscale vortices found along on the 2-PVU dynamic tropopause and poleward of the jet stream, and are relevant to high-latitude surface cyclogenesis, jet stream interactions, and sea ice variability. These features have been the subject of investigation in previous model-based studies, yet the depth of previous observation-based studies of TPVs remains limited. Our goal is to characterize TPV spatial structure using observation-based methodology, which will ultimately be used to verify previous model studies on TPV variability and to complement future numerical modeling and field components in TPV research.

This study incorporates data from sounders aboard polar-orbiting satellites including the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS)/Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) Version 6 retrieval products in conjunction with the ERA5 climate reanalysis dataset. Geographic information systems (GIS) technology and a TPV tracking software were used to collect cases of TPV events detected by satellite passes from 2012-2014. Composites of the satellite retrievals of each of these cases are explored during this time frame, with specific attention to three-dimensional temperature, water vapor, ozone, and geopotential height variability. Our methods include the investigation of field variable composite anomalies against a background climatology from 2012-2014 in satellite retrieval space.