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@ARTICLE{Hoffmann:906976,
author = {Hoffmann, Lars and Spang, Reinhold},
title = {{A}n assessment of tropopause characteristics of the {ERA}5
and {ERA}-{I}nterim meteorological reanalyses},
journal = {Atmospheric chemistry and physics},
volume = {22},
number = {6},
issn = {1680-7316},
address = {Katlenburg-Lindau},
publisher = {EGU},
reportid = {FZJ-2022-01789},
pages = {4019 - 4046},
year = {2022},
abstract = {The tropopause layer plays a key role in manifold processes
in atmospheric chemistry and physics. Here we compare the
representation and characteristics of the lapse rate
tropopause according to the definition of the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) as estimated from European
Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis
data. Our study is based on 10-year records (2009 to 2018)
of ECMWF's state-of-the-art reanalysis ERA5 and its
predecessor ERA-Interim. The intercomparison reveals notable
differences between ERA5 and ERA-Interim tropopause data, in
particular on small spatiotemporal scales. The monthly mean
differences of ERA5 minus ERA-Interim tropopause heights
vary between −300 m at the transition from the tropics
to the extratropics (near 30∘ S and 30∘ N) to
150 m around the Equator. Mean tropopause temperatures are
mostly lower in ERA5 than in ERA-Interim, with a maximum
difference of up to −1.5 K in the tropics. Monthly
standard deviations of tropopause heights of ERA5 are up to
350 m or $60 \%$ larger than for ERA-Interim. Monthly
standard deviations of tropopause temperatures of ERA5
exceed those of ERA-Interim by up to 1.5 K or $30 \%.$
The occurrence frequencies of double-tropopause events in
ERA5 exceed those of ERA-Interim by up to 25 percentage
points at middle latitudes. We attribute the differences
between the ERA5 and ERA-Interim tropopause data and the
larger, more realistic variability of ERA5 to improved
spatiotemporal resolution and better representation of
geophysical processes in the forecast model as well as
improvements in the data assimilation scheme and the
utilization of additional observations in ERA5. The improved
spatiotemporal resolution of ERA5 allows for a better
representation of mesoscale features, in particular of
gravity waves, which affect the temperature profiles in the
upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) and thus the
tropopause height estimates. We evaluated the quality of the
ERA5 and ERA-Interim reanalysis tropopause data by
comparisons with COSMIC and MetOp Global Positioning System
(GPS) satellite observations as well as high-resolution
radiosonde profiles. The comparison indicates an uncertainty
of the first tropopause for ERA5 (ERA-Interim) of about
±150 to ±200 m (±250 m) based on radiosonde data and
±120 to ±150 m (±170 to ±200 m) based on the
coarser-resolution GPS data at different latitudes.
Consequently, ERA5 will provide more accurate information
than ERA-Interim for future tropopause-related studies.},
cin = {JSC / IEK-7 / CASA},
ddc = {550},
cid = {I:(DE-Juel1)JSC-20090406 / I:(DE-Juel1)IEK-7-20101013 /
I:(DE-Juel1)CASA-20230315},
pnm = {5111 - Domain-Specific Simulation Data Life Cycle Labs
(SDLs) and Research Groups (POF4-511) / 2112 - Climate
Feedbacks (POF4-211) / DFG project 410579391 - Transportwege
für Aerosol und Spurengase im Asiatischen Monsun in der
oberen Troposphäre und unteren Stratosphäre},
pid = {G:(DE-HGF)POF4-5111 / G:(DE-HGF)POF4-2112 /
G:(GEPRIS)410579391},
typ = {PUB:(DE-HGF)16},
UT = {WOS:000776518900001},
doi = {10.5194/acp-22-4019-2022},
url = {https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/906976},
}