Temperature perturbations in the troposphere-stratosphere over Thumba (8.5° N, 76.9° E) during the solar eclipse 2009/2010

Abstract

Abstract. Measurements of atmospheric temperature profiles in the troposphere and lower stratosphere were made over Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS) (8.5 • N, 76.9 • E) during a partial solar eclipse (22 July 2009) and an annular solar eclipse (15 January 2010). It was observed that during the partial solar eclipse, the temperature decreased by 2-3 • C in the vicinity of the tropopause and in the lower stratosphere the temperature increased by ∼2.6 • C during the maximum phase of the partial solar eclipse. During the annular solar eclipse, a temperature reduction of ∼2 • C was observed around the tropopause. This study also revealed a feature of delayed effect in the form of a very intense warming of ∼8 • C at 18 km after about 4 h of the annular solar eclipse. The Cold-Point Tropopause (CPT) temperature increased slowly before the beginning of the eclipse (up to 10:00 IST) and during the maximum phase of the eclipse, the difference in CPT temperature and height was −3.5 • C and ∼110 m, respectively, as that of the control day. After the four hours of the eclipse, the CPT height had decreased by ∼1.7 km and the CPT temperature increased by ∼4.6 • C. This is for the first time that the diurnal variation of the tropopause has been reported during a solar eclipse day. The present study, thus, provided an opportunity to investigate the temperature perturbations in the troposphere and lower stratosphere during a partial and annular solar eclipse. The highlight of the present results are (1) cooling of the entire troposphere and lower stratosphere during the maximum phase of annular solar eclipse, (2) an intense heating of the lower stratosphere by 8 • C after nearly four hours from the maximum phase of the annular eclipse, and (3) drastic variations in the diurnal evolution of the tropical tropopause characteristics. The cooling effect is attributed to the radiative response of the atmosphere to the solar eclipse, where as heatCorrespondence to: K. V. Subrahmanyam (kvsm2k@gmail.com) ing is attributed to the dynamical response of the atmosphere to the solar eclipse. These results may have important implications in understanding the response of the atmosphere to the radiative, as well as dynamical, perturbations caused by any celestial or terrestrial disturbances.

Microclimate changes in a spruce stand and meadow ecosystem during a solar eclipse in the Czech Republic

“…(), Anderson (), and Hanna (; ), this decrease in air tempeature ranges between 1.6 and 7.8 degC. In the stratosphere, temperature decreases by 6–8 degC (Subrahmanyam et al ., ). At the Bílý Kříž station, the air cooled down only 47 min after the phenomenon had begun (i.e.…”

In-situ measurements of vertical structure of ozone during the solar eclipse of 15 January 2010

“…10(c-e)] which could be associated with the advection of the different air masses as it can be seen from the wind direction profiles changed during the eclipse period. Subrahamanyam et al, (2011aSubrahamanyam et al, ( , 2011b) also reported Fig. 10.…”

“…No significant variation in the temperature profiles was seen (upper limit of $1 1C) both in the troposphere and the stratosphere. A decrease in stratospheric and tropopause temperature of 6-8 1C and 4 1C, respectively over Thiruvananthapuram during the solar eclipse of January 15, 2010 has also been reported by Subrahamanyam et al, (2011aSubrahamanyam et al, ( , 2011b.…”

The total solar eclipse of December 14, 2020 in southern South America and its effects on atmospheric variables

“…Beyond surface temperatures, less trivial changes in other tropospheric variables during a TSE such as specific humidity (Bhat and Jagannathan, 2012), surface winds (Kameda et al, 2009), sea level pressure (Marty et al, 2013), or NO x and ozone concentrations (Kwak et al, 2011) have also been documented, and even pioneering theories on gravity waves forming from the sudden obscuration during a TSE (Chimonas, 1970) have been validated using high-density and high-frequency pressure and wind observations in a number of eclipses already (e.g., Seykora et al, 1985;Marty et al, 2013). TSE have also been blamed for a reduction in the surface concentration of water vapor during and after them due to increased subsidence of drier air within the atmospheric boundary layer (Bhat and Jagannathan, 2012).…”