A selection of new science articles from the past week of interest to the SPARC community (a SPARC Office choice).

Stratospheric sulfur and its implications for radiative forcing simulated by the chemistry climate model EMAC. By C. Brühl et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Solar Signals in CMIP-5 Simulations: The Stratospheric Pathway. By D.M. Mitchell et al. in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society.

Mass Footprints of the North Pacific Atmospheric Blocking Highs. By T.-W. Park et al. in the Journal of Climate.

Seasonal changes of CO₂, CH₄, N₂O and SF₆ in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere over the Eurasian continent observed by commercial airliner. By Y. Sawa et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Hemispheric asymmetries and seasonality of mean age of air in the lower stratosphere: Deep versus shallow branch of the Brewer-Dobson circulation. By P. Konopka et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Direct impacts of waves on tropical cold point tropopause temperature. By J.-E. Kim and M.J. Alexander in Geophysical Research Letters.

Detecting physically unrealistic outliers in ACE-FTS atmospheric measurements. By P.E. Sheese, C.D. Boone, and K.A. Walker in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques.

Oral and poster sessions: 13 April 2015, Follow-up discussion on the SSW definitions, and on predictability: 16 April 2015

Conveners:

Thomas Reichler, Dann Mitchell, Om Tripathi

Description:

This session is interested in the dynamical two-way interaction between the stratosphere and the troposphere, the mechanisms for this interaction, and its consequences for explaining both short-term atmospheric weather and longer-term climate variability.
In addition to general contributions on the dynamics for stratosphere-troposphere interaction, this year’s session will have two additional focus areas:

The first focus is the characterization of Sudden Stratospheric Warmings (SSWs).
The most commonly used SSW definition is based largely on zonal wind diagnostics developed in the 1960s-70s, and often referred to as the ‘WMO definition,’ although there is some ambiguity in its application. Other, more sophisticated diagnostics have also been used to classify SSWs in recent years. What diagnostics are most useful for defining SSWs, and do we need to clarify or update the WMO definition? Given that more tailored diagnostics are useful for studying different aspects of SSWs, what purpose does a standard definition serve?

The second focus is on the SPARC activity SNAP (Stratospheric Network for the Assessment of Predictability). Studies have shown that anomalous conditions in the stratosphere particularly during northern hemispheric winters can influence tropospheric circulation up to 60 days ahead. We invite abstracts that focus on the role of the stratosphere for the predictability of tropospheric forecast in medium-range to sub-seasonal time scale. This includes all aspects of the connections between stratospheric conditions and tropospheric weather: the predictability of weak vortex conditions such as stratospheric major and minor warmings, stratospheric final warmings and stratospheric vortex strengthening events. Advances in operational forecasting that enhance the predictability of SSW events and related skill in tropospheric forecasts are of particular interest.

The oral and poster sessions will be on Monday the 13th of April, throughout the day.
A followup discussion on the SSW definitions, and on predictability, will be on the Thursday (16th of April).

Abstract submission deadline: 31 May 2015

The 2015 COSPAR Symposium is the second of a new series of events initiated by COSPAR which aims to promote space research at a regional level in emerging countries.

The Symposium is multidisciplinary in nature and addresses topics ranging from astronomy, earth observation, planetology, astrobiology up to citizen science. The Symposium features plenary lectures, parallel and poster sessions, as well as training sessions. It is open to participants worldwide. The general topic for the second Symposium is “Water and Life in the Universe”.

Symposium information and abstract submission: http://cosparbrazil2015.org/

Abstract submission will open on 2 March, and the deadline is 31 May 2015

Please download the Symposium poster and announcement for display at your institute.

Symposium Poster

Symposium Announcement

Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts after the Symposium for publication in COSPAR’s flagship journals Advances in Space Research and Life Sciences in Space Research.

Contact:

A COSPAR Capacity Building Workshop on Planetary Missions Data Analysis will be organized during the two weeks preceding the Symposium for which participants from the Latin American and Caribbean region will be selected by application. See Symposium web page for further information.

We look forward to your participation in the 2015 COSPAR Symposium.

We would like to inform you of an upcoming open meeting titled "Composition and Transport in the Tropical Troposphere and Lower Stratosphere" to be held in Boulder, CO on 20-23 July, 2015.

The meeting will cover the science topics listed below. Observational and modeling studies are encouraged. Analyses that combine ground-based, airborne, and satellite measurements, as well as the use of these observations for evaluation of large-scale models, are particularly welcome. We hope to have presentations and discussions of the role of the TTL in the climate system and the response of the TTL to future climate change. It would also be helpful if speakers identify open science questions and the future measurement strategies needed to address them.

Limited support will be available for international participants and for students.

Science topics:

1. Chemistry and transport processes controlling tropical tropospheric and stratospheric composition

• Chemical and dynamical processes controlling ozone concentrations from the surface to the stratosphere
• Impact of deep convection on tropical tropospheric and stratospheric composition
• Halogen budgets/partitioning/sources/transport/etc

2. Clouds and water vapor

• Tropical wave interactions
• Processes controlling variability in stratospheric humidity
• TTL cirrus formation processes
• Radiative, dynamical, and chemical impacts of TTL cirrus

3. Measurement and model comparisons

• Use of ground-based and airborne measurements for evaluation of satellite retrievals
• Use of ground-based, airborne, and satellite measurements for evaluation of global models
• Evaluation of convective parameterizations using composition measurements

This meeting is held under the auspices of SPARC and IGAC.

Organising committee:

Eric Jensen, Neil Harris, Joan Alexander, Elliot Atlas, Fumio Hasebe, Nathaniel Livesey, Rolf Müller, Laura Pan, Leonhard Pfister, Ross Salawitch, and Troy Thornberry.

All enquiries to Eric Jensen (), Neil Harris () with a copy to the SPARC Office ().

Find website.

A selection of new science articles from the past week of interest to the SPARC community (a SPARC Office choice).

Advancements in decadal climate predictability: the role of non-oceanic drivers. By A. Bellucci et al. in Reviews of Geophysics.

Inclusion of mountain-wave-induced cooling for the formation of PSCs over the Antarctic Peninsula in a chemistry–climate model. By A. Orr et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Projection of Indian Summer Monsoon Climate in 2041-2060 by Multi-Regional and Global Climate Models. By X. Niu et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

The Global Structure of UTLS Ozone in GEOS-5: A Multi-Year Assimilation of EOS Aura Data. By K. Wargan et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Investigation of the transport processes controlling the geographic distribution of carbon monoxide at the tropical tropopause. By E.J. Jensen et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Atmospheric initial conditions and the predictability of the Arctic Oscillation. By T.N. Stockdale et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Evaluation of CMIP5 upper troposphere and lower stratosphere geopotential height with GPS radio occultation observations. By C.O. Ao et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Dominating Controls for Wetter South Asian Summer Monsoon in the 21st Century. By R. Mei et al. in the Journal of climate.

Discussion Papers – open for comment:

The southern stratospheric gravity-wave hot spot: individual waves and their momentum fluxes measured by COSMIC GPS-RO. By N.P. Hindley et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

The January issue of the SPARC newsletter is in print and will be sent to subscribers within the next couple of weeks. Find its digital version at

www.sparc-climate.org/publications/newsletter/

Deadline for applications: 28 Feb 2015

The World Climate Research Programme (WCRP), Max-Plank-Institute for Meteorology (MPI-M) and Hans Ertel Centre for Weather Research announce the 1st Summer School on Climate Model Development hosted by the MPI-M, Hamburg, Germany.

The school is open to graduate students and early career researchers in meteorology and associated fields.

Deadline for applications is 28 FEBRUARY 2015

For more information about the school and how to apply, please visit: ​https://verc.enes.org/community/schools/WSSCMD1

WCRP Joint Planning Staff
c/o World Meteorological Organization
7 bis, Avenue de la Paix
Case Postale 2300
1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Phone: +41 22 730 81 11
Fax: +41 22 730 80 36
Email:

A selection of new science articles from the past week of interest to the SPARC community(a SPARC Office choice).

Case studies of nonorographic gravity waves over the Southern Ocean emphasize the role of moisture. By R. Plougonven et al. in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

In-situ detection of stratosphere-troposphere-exchange of cirrus particles in the mid-latitudes. By S. Mueller et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Defining sudden stratospheric warmings. By A.H. Butler et al. in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.

Role of stratospheric sudden warmings on the response to Central Pacific El Niño. By M. Iza and N. Calvo in Geophysical Research Letters.

Seasonal variation of gravity wave activity at mid-latitudes from 7 years of COSMIC GPS and Rayleigh lidar temperature observations. By S.M. Khaykin et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

Sunset–sunrise difference in solar occultation ozone measurements (SAGE II, HALOE, and ACE–FTS) and its relationship to tidal vertical winds. By T. Sakazaki et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Tropical Climate Change Control of the Lower Stratospheric Circulation. By P. Lin et al. in Geophysical Research Letters.

How robust are trends in the Brewer-Dobson Circulation derived from observed stratospheric temperatures? By A. Ossó et al. in the Journal of Climate.

Satellite observations of cirrus clouds in the Northern Hemisphere lowermost stratosphere. By R. Spang et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Comparing and contrasting extreme stratospheric events, including their coupling to the tropospheric circulation. By E. Dunn-Sigouin and T.A. Shaw in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Determining the temporal variability in atmospheric temperature profiles measured using radiosondes and assessment of correction factors for different launch schedules. By D. Butterfield and T. Gardiner in Atmospheric Measurement Techniques.

Discussion papers – open for comment

Stratosphere–troposphere exchange (STE) in the vicinity of North Atlantic cyclones. By P. Reutter et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.

Abstract submission deadline: 15 May 2015, Registration deadline: 24 July 2015

Convenors
Mark Baldwin, University of Exeter
Tiffany A. Shaw, Columbia University

Description
Storm tracks and jets, together with their modes of variability, affect the regional distribution of precipitation, temperature, and wind in the midlatitudes of both hemispheres. One of the most pressing questions regarding the impacts of climate change concerns how storm tracks will change. While comprehensive climate models predict a poleward shift of the zonal-mean midlatitude westerlies in response to global warming, observational evidence is mixed, and such a shift does not necessarily occur regionally, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere.

The purpose of the workshop is to review recent advances on the dynamics of storm tracks, jets and their modes of variability and to address key questions related to the regional response to climate change. The workshop will focus on areas of research in which recent progress has been notable, along with emerging themes: characterization of storm track response to climate change, model hierarchies of the storm tracks, model biases, low-frequency variability, coupling to the cryosphere, ocean, stratosphere and tropics, coupling with moisture and clouds and connection to extreme events. It will feature invited speakers and contributed talks with an emphasis on discussion time during poster events and breakout discussions.

We encourage participation of early career scientists who will be able to apply for limited travel funds.

Space is limited. All participants must be registered.

Confirmed invited speakers
Edmund Chang, Clara Deser, Ed Gerber, Kevin Grise, Dennis Hartmann, Isaac Held, Brian Hoskins, Yohai Kaspi, Sukyoung Lee, Jian Lu, Olivia Martius, Lorenzo Polvani, Adam Scaife, Tapio Schneider, Len Shaffrey, Dave Thompson, Tim Woolings

Important dates
Abstract submission deadline: 15 May 2015
Registration deadline: 24 July 2015

Website
http://www.aparc-climate.org/meetings/Sparc-grindelwaldworkshop-aug2015/

A selection of new science articles from the past week of interest to the SPARC community(a SPARC Office choice).

Seasonal and interannual variations in HCN amounts in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere observed by MIPAS. By N. Glatthor et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Influence of ENSO on the QBO: Results from an ensemble of idealized simulations. By S. Schirber in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres.

Circulation response to warming shaped by radiative changes of clouds and water vapour. By A. Voigt and T.A. Shaw in Nature Geoscience.

Validation of OMI total ozone retrievals from the SAO ozone profile algorithm and three operational algorithms with Brewer measurements. By J. Bak et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

Discussion papers – open for comment

An objective determination of optimal site locations for detecting expected trends in upper-air temperature and total column ozone. By K. Kreher et al. in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions.