Sudden Stratospheric Warming in 2015–2016: Study with Satellite Passive Microwave Data and ERA5 Reanalysis

A sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) is a large-scale meteorological disturbance that usually takes place in the arctic region. In the present research, the formation, characteristics, intensity and duration of SSW events over the North polar area in 2015-2016 winter months are studied by using the satellite passive microwave, reanalysis (ERA-Interim) and radiosonde time series. The MTVZA-GY microwave radiometer data onboard Meteor-M N 2 were collected before, during and after the SSW events. The measurements obtained by 10 microwave channels in the range between 52.8 and 57.6 GHz characterize the air temperature variations in the troposphere and stratosphere up to about 42-45 km. The detailed study was carried out over several circular areas in the vicinity of radiosonde stations located mainly in and around Greenland. Comparison of MTVZA-GY, ERA5 and radiosonde time series allowed to monitor the evolution of the SSWs, estimate their temporal characteristics, horizontal and vertical gradients of air temperature.