Midtropospheric CO_2 retrievals from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) were used to explore the influence of stratospheric sudden warming (SSW) on CO_2 in the middle to upper troposphere. To choose the SSW events that had strong coupling between the stratosphere and troposphere, the authors applied a principal component analysis to the NCEP/Department of Energy Global Reanalysis 2 (NCEP-2) geopotential height data at 17 pressure levels. Two events (April 2003 and March 2005) that have strong couplings between the stratosphere and troposphere were chosen to investigate the influence of SSW on AIRS midtropospheric CO_2. The authors investigated the temporal and spatial variations of AIRS midtropospheric CO_2 before and after the SSW events and found that the midtropospheric CO_2 concentrations increased by 2–3 ppm within a few days after the SSW events. These results can be used to better understand how the chemical tracers respond to the large-scale dynamics in the high latitudes.
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