A comparison between thermal tropopauses derived from mandatory and significant levels for the Indian subcontinent upper-air network

Abstract

Differences between lapse rate tropopauses (LRTs) and LRT-like tropopauses retrieved from mandatory levels (LRTMs) were studied for height, pressure and temperature at 37 locations of the Indian subcontinent on a long-term annual, summer and winter basis covering the period 1973–2015. LRTM is usually found below LRT and statistical distinctions hinder the use of the former tropopause as a replacement for the latter one, yet significant positive Spearman's correlations show a relationship through a monotonic increasing function that enable the estimation of LRT variables from the corresponding LRTM ones. The slope and the intercept for a linear function relating corresponding variables were obtained at each location.