Upper Air Temperatures over an Antarctic Station: A preliminary note

Typical features of antarctic upper air temperature distributions are demonstrated by means of average values and selected ascents. A great seasonal change in the height of the tropopause is pointed out. Attention is drawn to the remarkable agreement between observed stratospheric temperatures in winter and Dobson’s estimated values. The causes for the heating of the stratosphere in late winter and spring are discussed. The difference between the tropospheric temperatures in summer between Arctic and Antarctic is assumed to be due to the different value of the surface albedo. Rough estimates indicate that the absorption in the 9.7 μ band by ozone is of great significance to the observed stratospheric temperature contrast between the two polar regions in winter.