In the period 1998-2012 there was a stagnation in temperature rise, despite
the GHGs radiation forcing is increased (hiatus period). According to Global
Circulation Models simulations, expected response on the rise of GHGs forcing
is tropical temperature altitude amplification - temperature increases faster
in higher troposphere than in lower troposphere. In this paper, two satellite
data sets, UAH MSU and RSS, were used to test altitude temperature
amplification in tropic (20?N-20?S) in the hiatus period. We compared data
from satellite data sets from lower troposphere (TLT) and middle troposphere
(TMT) in general and particularly for land and ocean (for UAH MSU). The
results from both satellite measurements showed the presence of hiatus, i.e.
slowdown of the temperature rise in the period 1998-2012 compared to period
1979-2012 (UAH MSU) and temperature fall for RSS data. Smaller increase, i.e.
temperature fall over ocean showed that hiatus is an ocean phenomenon above
all. Data for UAH MSU showed that temperature altitude amplification in
tropic was not present either for period 1979-2012, or 1998-2012. RSS data
set also do not show temperature altitude amplification either for longer
(1979-2012), or for shorter period (1998-2012). RSS data for successive
15-year periods from 1979-1993 till 1998-2012 does not show tropical
temperature altitude amplification and in one case negative trend is
registered in TLT and in two cases in TMT. In general, our results do not
show presence of temperature altitude amplification in tropic in the hiatus
period.
Tropical temperature altitude amplification in the hiatus period (1998-2012)