G. Vaughan et al., USE OF MST RADARS TO PROBE THE MESOSCALE STRUCTURE OF THE TROPOPAUSE, Tellus. Series A, Dynamic meteorology and oceanography, 47(5), 1995, pp. 759-765
Profiles of the power scattered at vertical incidence by an MST radar
have been compared with temperature profiles measured by radiosondes l
aunched nearby. The results are consistent with a standard scattering
model for low and medium scattered power, but deviate from the model a
t high power. Tropopause heights have been derived from the radar data
by two methods: the maximum power and maximum power gradient. The two
criteria appear to be equally effective as predictors of the tropopau
se, despite the theoretical expectation that the latter should be supe
rior. Radiosonde tropopauses which were highly indefinite (no marked c
hange in lapse rate between troposphere and stratosphere) were associa
ted with a shallower minimum than normal in the radar power profile in
the upper troposphere. This ability to detect highly indefinite tropo
pauses shows that an MST radar may be used to monitor continuously the
structure of the thermal tropopause.