Near-saturation Conditions at the Tropical Tropopause: Results from Ticosonde

Abstract: Balloon-borne frostpoint measurements have shown a high frequency of supersaturation near the tropical tropopause, and this has been attributed to forced ascent associated with wavemotions as well as diabatic heating. Long-term profile statistics are typically presented on altitude, pressure or potential temperature surfaces. For example, at Costa Rica long-term mean values of CFH RH at 16.8 km, the mean annual height of the tropopause, range from less than 60 percent in July to over 90% in O…