Title of Dissertation: THE EFFECT OF DEEP CONVECTION ON TEMPERATURES IN THE TROPICAL TROPOPAUSE LAYER AND ITS IMPLICATIONS TO THE REGULATION OF TOROPICAL LOWER STRATOSPHERIC HUMIDITY

Title of Dissertation: THE EFFECT OF DEEP CONVECTION ON TEMPERATURES IN THE TROPICAL TROPOPAUSE LAYER AND ITS IMPLICATIONS TO THE REGULATION OF TOROPICAL LOWER STRATOSPHERIC HUMIDITY Hyun Cheol Kim, Doctor of Philosophy, 2005 Dissertation directed by: Dr. Andrew E. Dessler Department of Meteorology This dissertation focuses on the impact of deep convection on the thermal structure in the Tropical Tropopause Layer (TTL). Temperatures in this region play an important role in the regulation of water vapor, which in turn affects radiation, chemistry, and dynamics in the lower stratosphere. This dissertation includes two important conclusions concerning the regulation of temperature in the TTL. First, significant cooling near the tropical tropopause is observed during the time when active convection is occurring. A composite technique is used to relate the local temperature anomalies to the evolution of local convection. Temperature profiles are measured by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) onboard the Aqua satellite, and