Comparative study of stratopause at the South Pole and Rothera

It is well known that the winter polar stratopause is elevated compared to middle latitudes due to gravity wave driven descent in the polar vortex. Owing to limitations in sampling by polar orbiting satellites, observations of the stratopause directly at the South Pole are only available during the lidar campaign from 1999 to 2002. Lidar temperature data from 1999 to 2002 at the South Pole and from 2003 to 2005 at Rothera, Antarctica (67.5 S, 68.0 W) are used to quantify geographical differences in the height and temperature of the stratopause between the two lidar sites. We will show the evolution of stratopause temperature and height at the South Pole and at Rothera over an annual cycle base on the lidar data, SABER satellite data, and ECMWF meteorological analyses. Rothera is located near the edge of polar vortex, thus movement of the vortex strongly affects the stratopause at that location. The Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model will be used to determine the extent to which observed geographical differences in the stratopause are simulated.