JOURNALOF GEOPHYSICAL

RESEARCH VOL. 75, No. 27, SEPTEMBER

20, 1970

Brief Reports
Amplitude of the Annual Temperature Cycle in the Stratosphere

S. I. ADELFANG

Lockheed-California Company, Burbank 91503

Two years of daily temperatures at 119 grid points at 50 and 100 mb over the northern
hemisphere obtained from ESSA objective analyses of IQSY (1984-1965) data are used for
analysis of the first harmonic or annual cycle. The amplitude and contribution to the total
variance by the annual cycle are greatest at polar latitudes, but significant secondary
maximums occur near midlatitudes. The amplitude of the annual cycle at 50 mb generally
exceedsthe amplitude at 100 mb with exceptions at certain midlatitude stations. A rather
large variation of amplitude (by a factor of 7) at 50 mb at 62 latitude was observedbetween
longitudes 170W and 10E.

Kondratyev and Filipovich [1962] in sum- into groups of 730 daily observationsat each
marizing the knowledgeof annual temperature of 119 grid points for the period 1964-1965.
variations in the stratosphereconcludedthat This paper describesan analysisof the annual
the hypothesisof increasingamplitude of the variation of temperature over the northern
annual fluctuation as a function of increasinghemisphereas observedat 50 and 100 mb. The
latitude and altitude between 20 and 50 kmannual variation, or first harmonic, will be
shouldbe considered preliminarysincearbitrary described in terms of its amplitude and its
and systematicerrors in the available data contribution to the total variance, both aver-
cannot be removed. Angell and Korshover aged for the two years of IQSY data.
[1970] studied the latitudinal variation of The standard deviation or square root of the
harmonicamplitudesfrom seriesof rocketsonde variance of temperature at 50 and 100 mb ave.r-
measurementsat five locations, but they neg- aged for 1964 and 1965 is illustrated in Figure
lectedsignificantlongitudinaldifferences
in the 1. The standard deviation generally increases
locations.In an attempt to provide improved with latitude and attains a maximum, between
knowledgeof stratospherictemperaturevaria- 12 and 14C at 50 mb and between 10 and
tions an intensiveobservationprogram was con- 12C at 100 mb, over the Arctic Ocean north-
ducted during the International Years of the east of Greenland. At 100 mb at midlatitudes
Quiet Sun (IQS, 1964-1965).Usingthe IQSY there are well defined secondary maximums
data and incorporatingthe editing and correc- in standard deviation over the central United
tion techniquesdescribedby McDonnel [1962], States, northern Japan, and Iran; at 50 mba
ESSA has constructed daily maps for the secondarymaximum is only weakly indicated
northernhemisphereat 100, 50, 30, and 10 mb. over the Pacific Ocean.
From thesemapstemperatureswere determined As illustrated in Figure 2 the amplitudes of
at each of the four levels for each point of a the first Fourier harmonic, or annual cycle,
1977-pointgrid coveringthe entire hemisphere. follow the pattern describedabovefor the stan-
These data provide for the first time reliable dard deviation. A maximum first-harmonic
estimatesof temperature in the lower strato- amplitude between 16 and 18C occurs at
sphere in sufficientdetail for study of tem- 50 mb over the Arctic Ocean; at 100 mb at the
perature
variability
in timeanddistance same location a maximum of between 12 and
for descriptionof the annualmarch of tempera- 14C is indicated; the locationsof secondary
ture. For this study the data were organized maximums generally are the same as those
observedfor secondarymaximumsof standard
Copyright () 1970 by the American GeophysicalUnion. deviation. It is illustrated in Figure 3 for the
5259
 50rob

IOOmb
Fig. 1. Standarddeviation of daily temperatureat 50 mb and 100 mb over the northern
hemisphereaveragedfor the two years 1964and 195.
 50 mb

IOOmb
Fig. 2. Amplitude of the first Fourier harmonic (annual cycle) at 50 mb and 100 mb over
the northern hemisphereaveragedfor the two years 1964 and 1965.
 5262 S.I. ADELFANG

three longitudes10E, 90W, and 170W that

the variation of Fourier first-harmonicampli-
tudes is not independent of longitude. It is
I I
shownthat the amplitudecan differ by as much
as a factor of 7 at 50 mb at 62 latitude be-
,,
! I I

tween 170W and 10E. The secondarymaxi-

mins in amplitudeare clearlyindicated'at170
I
and 90W but are only weakly indicated at
100 mb at 10E.
o 1.6
As illustratedin Figure 4 the first-harmonic
amplitude is generallylarger at 50 mb than at 1.2

100 mb except for a narrow latitude band be-

tween 40 and 55 and latitudes less than 27 ,.o _

at 170W, latitudes between 33 and 45 at

.

90W and near 30 at 10E. The ratio between

amplitudes at 50 and 100 mb is shown to be
strongly related to latitude.
The percentagecontributionof the first har- o .o
o 'o z'o 'o 4'o 'o s'o 7'o
monic to the total varianceof temperatureis LATITUDE
shownin Figure 5. In the Arctic Oceanbetween
30E and 80E greaterthan 80% of the variance Fig. 4. Ratio of amplitude of annual cycle at
is contained in the first harmonic at both levels. 50 mb to amplitude at 100 mb as a function of
At 50 mb near 40 and 50 latitude there are latitude for the three longitudes 90W, 170W,
and 10E.

18-

areas of minimum contribution to the variance;

in contrast, at 100 mb at the same latitudes
there are areasof strongsecondarymaximums.
(100mb) /
This is further illustratedin Figure 6 in which
O-90
W. the percentageof the total variance contri-
buted by the annual cycle as a function of
latitude is plotted for the three longitudes10F,
90W, and 170W. The percentagecontribution
ii I is on the whole significantlylarger at 50 mb;
large secondarymaximumsoccur at both levels
at 170 and 90W but are absent at 10E;
maximum contributionsof 78 to 82% occur at
both levels.
It has been shownthat the amplitude of the
4 annualtemperaturecycleand its contributionto
the total variance are not simple functionsof
latitude and altitude; specifically,althoughthe
largestamplitudesand contributionsto the total
variance by the annual cycle occur at polar
b zb o o o o o o
. .
latitudes,significantsecondarymaximumsoccur
o o o o o near midlatitudes. In addition, there are areas
LATITUDE
at midlatitudesin which the amplitude of the
annualcycleat 100mb exceedsthe amplitudeat
Fig. 3. Amplitude of annual cycle at 50 and
100 mb as a function of latitude for the three 50 mb. Rather large variations were also ob-
longitudes90W, 170W, and 10E. servedas a functionof longitude.
 50 mb

I00 mb

Fig. 5. Percentagecontribution to the variance of temperature at 50 mb and 100 mb by

the first Fourier harmonic averaged for the two years 1964 and 1965.
5264 S. I. ADELFANG

80- Aclnowledgments. I am indebted to Professor

Arnold Court for his helpful discussionsduring
the course of this research.
The research was supported under independent
research funds provided by the Lockheed-Cali-
fornia Company.
40-
_
iEFERENCES

20- -so Angell, J. K., and J. Korshover, Quasi-biennial,

annual, and semiannual zonal wind and tem-
peratureharmonicamplitudesand phasesin the
60 stratosphereand low mesosphereof the north-
ern hemisphere,J. Geophys.Res., 75(3), 543-550,
z 1970.
I00-
a: 40 Kondratyev, K. Y., and O. P. Filipovich, The
a thermal state of upper atmospheric layers,
NASA Tech. Transl. TTF-105 (from the Rus-
20 sian GiorometeorologichesloyeIzdatel'stvo, pp.
_ 1-356, 1960) 1962.
(170" W.) McDonnel, J. E., On the objective analysissys-
I- 60-
z o tem usedat the NationalMeteorological
Center,
NMC Tech. Mere. 23, U. Weather Bureau,
a.. 40 - 50 mb
Washington, D.C., 1962.

O- I00 mb (Received May 19, 1970.)

20-

Fig. 6. Percentage of total variance of tem-

perature contributed by the annual cycle at 50
and 100 mb as a function of latitude for the
three longitudes90W, 170W, and 10E.