Stratospheric temperatures from merged SSU, MLS and SABER data

We have derived global stratospheric temperature data sets based on combining satellite observations from
the Stratospheric Sounding Unit (SSU), Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and Sounding of the Atmosphere
using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instruments.  The data are in the form of broad-layer
stratospheric temperatures for three channels (SSU1, SSU2 and SSU3), spanning the middle to upper
stratosphere.  The SSU data cover 1979-2006, and originate from the recalibrated and merged SSU data
discussed in Zou et al, 2014 (JGR) doi:10.1002/2014JD021603.  We combine these data with vertically
integrated MLS (2004-2015) and SABER (2002-2015) observations to produce continuous, merged data
sets covering 1979-2015.  The merged SSU+MLS data are global, while the SSU+SABER data cover
53 N-S (due to limited sampling of SABER).  We  have recently (03/2019) updated the merged SSU+MLS
data to the end of 2018.

The details of the data and merging procedure are described in this paper:

Randel, W.J., A.K. Smith, F. Wu, C.-Z. Zou and H. Qian, 2016: Stratospheric temperature trends
over 1979-2015 derived from combined SSU, MLS and SABER satellite observations. J. Climate,
29, 4843-4859, doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-15-0629.1   pdf

The monthly data sets are available via anonymous ftp at:
ftp://ftp.acom.ucar.edu/user/randel/SSUdata
There are netCDF data files for the separate SSU+MLS and SSU+SABER data sets,
for both the full data and the deseasonalized anomalies.
Please send me an email (randel@ucar.edu) if you have questions.


Here's a plot of the annual average stratospheric temperature trends covering 1979-2015. 
The SSU curves show results based on three data sets: SSU+MLS, SSU+SABER and
SSU+AMSU (the latter from the merged data set described in Zou and Qian, 2016,
J. Atmos. Ocean Tech., doi:10.1175/JTECH-D-16-0018.1).  See the paper above for
details of these results.



Back to Bill Randel's homepage