How sharp is the tropopause at midlatitudes?

Abstract

Ten years of high‐resolution radiosonde data are contrasted with fifteen years of ECMWF reanalysis (ERA) data to explore the tropopause region above two midlatitude stations (Munich and Stuttgart) in Southern Germany. We present time‐averaged vertical profiles of several meteorological parameters relative to the tropopause. A strong mean inversion at the tropopause is evident from the radiosonde profiles with a vertical extension of about 2 km and a temperature increase of about 4 K. The impact of the tropopause definition on the strength of this inversion is discussed as well as the relevance of baroclinic eddies in forming it. The climatological profiles for Munich and Stuttgart do not differ significantly.