Investigation of the Physical Processes Governing Large-scale Tracer Transport in the Stratosphere and Troposphere

Abstract

This report reviews the second year of a three-year research program to investigate the physical mechanisms which underlie the transport of trace constituents in the stratosphere- troposphere system. The primary scientific goal of the research is to identify the processes which transport air masses within the lower stratosphere, particularly between the tropics and middle latitudes. The SASS program seeks to understand the impact of the present and future fleets of conventional jet traffic on the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere, while complementary airborne observations under UARP seek to understand the complex interactions of dynamical and chemical processes that affect the ozone layer. The present investigation contributes to the goals of each of these by diagnosing the history of air parcels intercepted by NASA research aircraft in UARP and AEAP campaigns