Tropopause altitude determination from temperature profiles of reduced altitude resolution

Abstract

Abstract. Inference of the lapse rate tropopause or the cold point from temperature profiles of finite vertical resolution entails an uncertainty of the tropopause altitude. For tropical radiosonde profiles the tropopause altitude inferred from coarse grid profiles was found to be lower than that inferred from the original profiles. The mean displacements of the lapse rate tropopause altitude when inferred from a temperature profile of 3 km vertical resolution and a Gaussian kernel is −240 m. In case of a MIPAS averaging kernel the displacement of the lapse rate tropopause altitude is −640 m. The displacement of the cold point tropopause inferred from a temperature profile of 3 km vertical resolution (Gaussian kernels) was found to be −500 km. The spread of the results seems too large to recommend a correction scheme.