Vertical Motions within the Indian Tropical Middle Atmosphere

Abstract

Computations of vertical motions in the middle atmosphere over the Indian tropical region have been made based on the thermodynamic equation with the geostrophic approximation. The authors have used the once weekly rocketsonde temperature and wind data for the tropical station Thumba India, (8°32′N, 76°52′E) for the four summers (1972, 1973, 1975 and 1976) and two winters (1971 and 1972) which are also years of varying monsoon activity. In the tropical middle atmosphere, downward motion (subsidence) is the dominant feature when the motion field is considered in a longer time scale. The trend of fluctuations in vertical motion suggests wave structures in the tropical middle atmosphere. The magnitude of the extreme values of the vertical motion in the stratosphere over the high latitudes is larger, by a factor of 2 or more, than those obtained over the low latitudes (tropics). Whereas the magnitude of the vertical motion in high latitudes is associated with stratospheric warmings during winter, the values relating, to low latitudes are computed at 3 h intervals during March.