Stratospheric Influences on the Troposphere

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This project will address how changes in the structure and circulation of the stratosphere may impact on the troposphere circulation, and by extension, surface climate. The main focus of the project is to investigate if the dynamics of the troposphere has a sensitivity to the dynamical and thermal structure of the stratosphere. Three possible mechanisms will be considered initially: (1) the backward reflection of upward propagating planetary-scale Rossby waves; (2) the remote interaction for non-vertically-propagating waves such as those that are found in classical treatments of baroclinic instability, and (3) the meridional circulation via the "downward control" principle. Each of these will be considered separately in simplified process models, and collectively through three-dimensional modeling.Broader Impacts: This work will benefit the climate modeling community by improving our understanding of the way in which the troposphere and stratosphere interact, enabling improved model parameterization. One student will be supported by this project.