LIDAR OBSERVATIONS OF WINTER STRATOSPHERIC WARMING OVER TOMSK IN 1996-2000

V. N. Marichev

Winter stratospheric warming over Tomsk in 1996-2000 is analyzed based on the measurements of vertical temperature distribution in the stratosphere carried out at the lidar station of the Institute of Atmospheric Optics, Siberian Department, Russian Academy of Sciences. In accordance with observations carried out at the altitudes of 15-35 km, the stratospheric warming occurred every winter and lasted from several days to a month. Several warmings were registered in the even years and one in each odd year. This can be attributed to the quasibiennial periodicity of stratospheric circulation. The temperature rise during the warming was not above 30K. This is much below the values of 60-80K observed at the stratospheric polar latitudes. Heat localization in the upper layers (25-35 km) was often accompanied by air cooling in the lower layers. There were cases when air masses were warmed up throughout the entire layer under consideration (15-35 km).