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Investigating the role of typhoon-induced waves and stratospheric hydration in the formation of tropopause cirrus clouds observed during the 2017 Asian monsoon

Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: . We investigate the formation mechanism of a tropopause cirrus cloud layer observed during the Balloon measurement campaigns of the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (BATAL) over Hyderabad (17.47° N, 78.58° E), India on 23 August 2017. Simultaneous measurements from a backscatter sonde and an optical particle counter onboard a balloon flight revealed the presence of a subvisible cirrus cloud layer (optical thickness ~0.025) at the cold-point tropopause (temperature ~ -86.4 °C, altitude ~17.9 km). Ice crystals in this layer are smaller than 50 microns with a layer-mean ice-crystal number concentration of about 46.79 L-1. Simultaneous backscatter and extinction coefficient measurements allowed us to estimate range-resolved lidar ratio inside this layer with a layer-mean value of about 32.18±6.73 sr which is in good agreement with earlier reported values at similar cirrus cloud temperatures. The formation mechanism responsible for this tropopause cirrus is investigated using a combination of three-dimensional back-trajectories, satellite observations, and ERA5 reanalysis data. Satellite observations revealed that the overshooting convection associated with a category-3 typhoon Hato, which hit Macau and Hong Kong on 23 August 2017 injected ice into the lower stratosphere. This caused a hydration patch that followed the Asian Summer Monsoon anticyclone to subsequently move towards Hyderabad. The presence of tropopause cirrus cloud layers in the cold temperature anomalies and updrafts along the back-trajectories suggested the role of typhoon-induced gravity waves in their formation. This case study highlights the role of typhoons in influencing the formation of tropopause cirrus clouds through stratospheric hydration and gravity waves.
DOI: 10.5194/acp-24-14209-2024
Authors: Amit Kumar Pandit, Jean-Paul Vernier, Thomas Duncan Fairlie, Kristopher M. Bedka, Melody A. Avery, Harish Gadhavi, Madineni Venkat Ratnam, Sanjeev Dwivedi, Kasimahanthi Amar Jyothi, Frank G. Wienhold, Holger Vömel, Hongyu Liu, Bo Zhang, Buduru Suneel Kumar, Tra Dinh, Achuthan Jayaraman
Institutions: National Institute of Aerospace, Langley Research Center, Physical Research Laboratory, National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, India Meteorological Department, Ministry of Earth Sciences, National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting, ETH Zurich, Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research, NSF NCAR Earth Observing Laboratory, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, University of Auckland
Language: English
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,725
Funders: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Universities Space Research Association, National Atmospheric Research Laboratory, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Indian Space Research Organisation, Langley Research Center
OpenAlex ID: W4405626726
FWCI: 0.177
Cites: 113
Cited by: 1
Related to: 10