The Antarctic Standard Atmosphere

Standard atmospheres provide a means of representing conditions typical of regional climates in models. Standard atmospheres to represent the tropics, mid-latitudes, and the Arctic have been developed previously; in all cases, separate seasonal standard atmospheres - for summer and winter - are available. The Antarctic plateau remains among the least studied of the world's important climate regions. The development of standard atmospheres to represent the climate of the Antarctic high plateau will thus fill an important void in modeling needs. Using routine surface-based obsevations and supplementary data from satellites, the three distinct climatic phases of the high plateau - i.e. the short summer, deep coreless winter, and the ozone-depleted spring - are developed. The authors also discuss ways in which variability in surface elevation, as well the radiative impact of clouds, can be included in models.