We investigate the vertical correlations between temperature variations at 925 hPa, in the atmospheric boundary layer, and temperature variations in the free troposphere and lower stratosphere in the Tropics in daily and monthly averaged satellite and radiosonde measurements and in six General Circulation Models (GCMs). The results show generally positive correlations between the boundary layer temperatures and temperatures in the rest of the troposphere, with negative correlations occurring around the tropopause and in the lower stratosphere. In typically non-convective regions, the variations at the surface show little connection to mid and upper tropospheric temperature variations. In the convective Western Pacific, the correlations are low in the mid troposphere and much larger around 200 hPa. GCMs generally capture the temperature correlations, although as a group they tend to overpredict the coupling between the boundary layer and the rest of the troposphere. The basic correlation patterns of monthly temperature are found similar to the daily results.

Last Updated: 2007-02-27