Evidence for long-lived polar vortex air in the mid-latitude summer stratosphere from in situ laser diode CH4 and H2O measurements

摘要

A balloon borne diode laser spectrometer was launched in southern France inJune 2000 to yield in situ stratospheric CH and HO measurements.In the altitude region ranging from 20km to 25km, striking large spatialstructures were observed in the vertical concentration profiles of bothspecies. We suggest these patterns are due to the presence of long-livedremnants of the wintertime polar vortex in the mid-latitude summerstratosphere. To support this interpretation, a high resolution advectionmodel for potential vorticity is used to investigate the evolution of theArctic vortex after its breakdown phase in spring 2000.