A study on the response of tropical stratosphere to the solar activity in 11-year cycle

Abstract

An investigation on the influence of solar activity in the 11-year cycle on temperature changes in the tropical stratosphere, based on M-100 and M-100 B rocket observations over Thumba for a period of two decades, has been made. It has been noted that the temperature in the tropical stratosphere show an out-of-phase variation with the changes in solar activity. The stratosphere cools during the period of high solar activity and warms during the period of low solar activity. The negative response of solar activity in the 11-year cycle on temperature is found to be higher in the upper part of the stratosphere, and it decreases as the height decreases. The role of QBO on solar activity induced changes in the tropical stratosphere seems to be comparatively lower than that observed from the middle and high latitudes. In tropics, the upper stratosphere shows a better out-of-phase relation with solar activity during summer, and the middle stratosphere exhibits higher inverse association during winter.