Historical information on changes in radiosonde instruments and observ
ing methods is combined with time series of upper-air temperature data
to estimate the effects of (1) changes in sensors, (2) changes in sol
ar radiation corrections to the data, and (3) changes in the length of
the train between the balloon and the instrument package. These chang
es can induce discontinuities in the temperature records from several
tenths to as high as several degrees Celsius. The discontinuities can
be larger than the temperature trends of a few tenths of a degree per
decade, computed by previous investigators from radiosonde observation
s An assessment of the 63-station network used by Angell to monitor tr
opospheric and stratospheric temperature suggests that about 43% of th
ose stations' records have inhomogeneities, most notably in the strato
sphere. These findings suggest that some previously computed temperatu
re trends, especially estimates of stratospheric cooling, may be influ
enced by data inhomogeneities.