Description: The need for accurate long-term measurements of water vapor in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere with global coverage

This title appears in the Scientific Report : 2016

The need for accurate long-term measurements of water vapor in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere with global coverage

Water vapor is the most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere although changes in carbon dioxide constitute the “control knob” for surface temperatures. While the latter fact is well recognized, resulting in extensive space-borne and ground-based measurement programs for carbon dioxide as detai...

Personal Name(s):	Müller, Rolf (Corresponding author)
	Kunz, Anne / Hurst, Dale F. / Rolf, Christian / Krämer, Martina / Riese, Martin
Contributing Institute:	Stratosphäre; IEK-7
Published in:	Earth's future, 4 (2016) 2, S. 25 - 32
Imprint:	Hoboken, NJ Wiley-Blackwell 2016
PubMed ID:	29264371
DOI:	10.1002/2015EF000321
Document Type:	Journal Article
Research Program:	Composition and dynamics of the upper troposphere and middle atmosphere
Link:	OpenAccess OpenAccess
	Publikationsportal JuSER

Please use the identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/12809 in citations.
Please use the identifier: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2015EF000321 in citations.

Water vapor is the most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere although changes in carbon dioxide constitute the “control knob” for surface temperatures. While the latter fact is well recognized, resulting in extensive space-borne and ground-based measurement programs for carbon dioxide as detailed in the studies by Keeling et al. (1996), Kuze et al. (2009), and Liu et al. (2014), the need for an accurate characterization of the long-term changes in upper tropospheric and lower stratospheric (UTLS) water vapor has not yet resulted in sufficiently extensive long-term international measurement programs (although first steps have been taken). Here, we argue for the implementation of a long-term balloon-borne measurement program for UTLS water vapor covering the entire globe that will likely have to be sustained for hundreds of years.