Studies of upper tropospheric processes including the radiation budget

Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) data will be used for two connected strands of research. The first strand is to enhance the on-going studies of meteorological processes near the tropopause by using MSG cloud and profile measurements. These studies involve calculation of particle trajectories in the region of the tropical tropopause. To obtain the vertical velocities for these trajectories diabatic heating rates need to be calculated. MSG data will be used to improve the specification of cloud and water vapour fields required in these calculations. In addition the cloud fields will be used to indicate where convective mixing processes affect the trajectories.

The second strand will combine high horizontal resolution MSG data with high vertical resolution EOSMLS data to improve estimates of the radiation budget. EOSMLS is an improved version of the highly successful UARSMLS instrument. UARSMLS proved successful in measuring water vapour in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. EOSMLS has been designed with greatly improved capabilities for such measurements. EOSMLS will be launched on the EOS Aura satellite in December 2002.