Aura MLS
Geopotential Height
Contact: Michael Schwartz
MLS measures geopotential height (GPH) on fixed pressure surfaces. GPH is geopotential, the potential energy that a unit mass has when it is lifted to a given position in the Earth's gravitational field, divided by the mean surface gravitational acceleration to give units of height.
GPH is a vertical scale like altitude, but the length of the "meter stick" varies with the magnitude of the local gravitational acceleration, g, and so is a function of latitude and height. It is straightforward to convert from GPH to altitude, but GPH is commonly used in meteorological calculations because its use simplifies certain equations.
Where the density contribution of water vapor to air can be neglected, the GPH difference between two pressure surfaces is proportional to the temperature of the slab between them, so a temperature profile and GPH on a reference pressure surface are sufficient to determine a GPH profile. GPH contours on pressure surfaces are stream functions for geostrophic wind.
How it is part of MLS Science Objectives
Changes in general circulation of the atmosphere associated with climate change will be reflected in GPH gradients. Determination of the height of MLS pressure surfaces is also an important intermediate step in understanding all of the other retrieved fields.
How EOS MLS measures GPH
Geopotential height (GPH) is retrieved, along with temperature and the related assignment of tangent pressures to limb views, primarily from bands near O2 spectral lines at 118GHz and 234GHz.
For dates and times for wich there known issues with GPH data, please visit the Known Data Issues list.
Latest Publications (Geopotential Height)
Ma, Z., Y. Gong, S. Zhang, Q. Xiao, C. Huang and K. Huang
A new methodology for measuring traveling quasi-5-day oscillations during SSWs based on satellite observations
Koshin, D., M. Kohma and K. Sato
Characteristics of the Intraseasonal Oscillation in the Equatorial Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere Region Revealed by Satellite Observation and Global Analysis by the JAGUAR Data Assimilation System
Ma, Z., Y. Gong, S. Zhang, Q. Xiao, C. Huang and K. Huang
A new methodology for measuring traveling quasi-5-day oscillations during sudden stratospheric warming events based on satellite observations
Ma, Z., Y. Gong, S. Zhang, Q. Xiao, J. Xue, C. Huang and K. Huang
Understanding the Excitation of Quasi‐6‐Day Waves in Both Hemispheres During the September 2019 Antarctic SSW
Pedatella, N.M. and V.L. Harvey
Impact of Strong and Weak Stratospheric Polar Vortices on the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere
Qin, Y., S. Gu, X. Dou, C. Teng, Z. Yang and R. Sun
Southern Hemisphere Response to the Secondary Planetary Waves Generated During the Arctic Sudden Stratospheric Final Warmings: Influence of the Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation
Ern, M., M. Diallo, P. Preusse, M. Mlynczak, M. Schwartz, Q. Wu and M. Riese
The semiannual oscillation SAO in the tropical middle atmosphere and its gravity wave driving in reanalyses and satellite observations
Kumar, K., B. Singh and Kumar, K.
Intriguing aspects of Asian Summer Monsoon Anticyclone Ozone variability from Microwave Limb Sounder measurements
Lieberman, R.S., J. France, D.A. Ortland and S.D. Eckermann
The role of inertial instability in cross-hemispheric coupling
Luo, J., Y. Gong, Z. Ma, S. Zhang, Q. Zhou, C. Huang, K. Huang, Y. Yu and G. Li
Study of the Quasi 10‐Day Waves in the MLT Region During the 2018 February SSW by a Meteor Radar Chain
Matthias, V., G. Stober, A. Kozlovsky, M. Lester, E. Belova and J. Kero
Vertical Structure of the Arctic Spring Transition in the Middle Atmosphere
Nishiyama, T., M. Taguchi, H. Suzuki, P. Dalin, Y. Ogawa, U. Brändström and T. Sakanoi
Temporal evolutions of N2 Meinel (1,2) band near 1.5µm associated with aurora breakup and their effects on mesopause temperature estimations from OH Meinel (3,1) band
Nishiyama, T., M. Taguchi, H. Suzuki, P. Dalin, Y. Ogawa, U. Brändström and T. Sakanoi
Temporal evolutions of N2 Meinel 1,2 band near 1.5µm associated with aurora breakup and their effects on mesopause temperature estimations from OH Meinel 3,1 band
Qin, Y., S. Gu and X. Dou
A New Mechanism for the Generation of Quasi‐6‐Day and Quasi‐10‐Day Waves During the 2019 Antarctic Sudden Stratospheric Warming
Qin, Y., S. Gu, X. Dou, C. Teng and H. Li
On the Westward Quasi‐8‐Day Planetary Waves in the Middle Atmosphere During Arctic Sudden Stratospheric Warmings
Shi, Y., O. Evtushevsky, V. Shulga, G. Milinevsky, A. Klekociuk, Y. Andrienko and W. Han
Mid-Latitude Mesospheric Zonal Wave 1 and Wave 2 in Recent Boreal Winters
Stober, G., D. Janches, V. Matthias, D. Fritts, J. Marino, T. Moffat-Griffin, K. Baumgarten, W. Lee, D. Murphy, Y. Kim, N. Mitchell and S. Palo
Seasonal evolution of winds, atmospheric tides, and Reynolds stress components in the Southern Hemisphere mesosphere–lower thermosphere in 2019
Wang, J.C., S.E. Palo, J.M. Forbes, J. Marino, T. Moffat‐Griffin and N.J. Mitchell
Unusual Quasi 10‐Day Planetary Wave Activity and the Ionospheric Response During the 2019 Southern Hemisphere Sudden Stratospheric Warming
Yamazaki, Y., V. Matthias and Y. Miyoshi
Quasi‐4‐Day Wave: Atmospheric Manifestation of the First Symmetric Rossby Normal Mode of Zonal Wavenumber 2
Yue, J. and Q. Gan
Quasi-two-day wave modulation of carbon dioxide in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere
Eswaraiah, S., K.N. Kumar, Y.H. Kim, G.V. Chalapathi, W. Lee, G. Jiang, C. Yan, G. Yang, M.V. Ratnam, P.V. Prasanth, S.V.B. Rao and K. Thyagarajan
Low-latitude mesospheric signatures observed during the 2017 sudden stratospheric warming using the fuke meteor radar and ERA-5
J. Atmos. Solar-Terr. Phys. 2020Iimura, H., D. Fritts, R. Lieberman, D. Janches, N. Mitchell, W. Singer, S. Franke and W. Hocking
Interhemispheric Comparisons of Structure and Variability of the Quasi-2-Day Wave at Middle and High Latitudes
Merzlyakov, E., T. Solovyova, A. Yudakov, D. Korotyshkin, C. Jacobi and F. Lilienthal
Some features of the day-to-day MLT wind variability in winter 2017–2018 as seen with a European/Siberian meteor radar network
Schwartz, M., M. Santee, H. Pumphrey, G. Manney, A. Lambert, N. Livesey, L. Millán, J. Neu, W. Read and F. Werner
Australian New Year's PyroCb Impact on Stratospheric Composition
Yamazaki, Y., V. Matthias, Y. Miyoshi, C. Stolle, T. Siddiqui, G. Kervalishvili, J. Laštovička, M. Kozubek, W. Ward, D.R. Themens, S. Kristoffersen and P. Alken
September 2019 Antarctic Sudden Stratospheric Warming: Quasi‐6‐Day Wave Burst and Ionospheric Effects
Fritts, D., H. Iimura, D. Janches, R. Lieberman, D. Riggin, N. Mitchell, R. Vincent, I. Reid, D. Murphy, M. Tsutsumi, A. Kavanagh, P. Batista and W. Hocking
Structure, Variability, and Mean‐Flow Interactions of the January 2015 Quasi‐Two‐Day Wave at Middle and High Southern Latitudes
Harvey, V.L., C. Randall, E. Becker, A. Smith, C. Bardeen, J. France and L. Goncharenko
Evaluation of the Mesospheric Polar Vortices in WACCM
Korotyshkin, D., E. Merzlyakov, C. Jacobi, F. Lilienthal and Q. Wu
Longitudinal MLT wind structure at higher mid-latitudes as seen by meteor radars at central and Eastern Europe 13°E/49°E
Smith, A., L. Holt, R. Garcia, J. Anstey, F. Serva, N. Butchart, S. Osprey, A. Bushell, Y. Kawatani, Y. Kim, F. Lott, P. Braesicke, C. Cagnazzo, C. Chen, H. Chun, L. Gray, T. Kerzenmacher, H. Naoe, J. Richter, S. Versick, V. Schenzinger, S. Watanabe and K. Yoshida
The equatorial stratospheric semiannual oscillation and time‐mean winds in QBOi models
Yamazaki, Y. and V. Matthias
Large‐Amplitude Quasi‐10‐Day Waves in the Middle Atmosphere During Final Warmings
Yi, W., X. Xue, I. Reid, D. Murphy, C. Hall, M. Tsutsumi, B. Ning, G. Li, R. Vincent, J. Chen, J. Wu, T. Chen and X. Dou
Climatology of the mesopause relative density using a global distribution of meteor radars
France, J.A., C.E. Randall, R.S. Lieberman, V.L. Harvey, S.D. Eckermann, D.E. Siskind, J.D. Lumpe, S.M. Bailey, J.N. Carstens and J.M. Russell
Local and Remote Planetary Wave Effects on Polar Mesospheric Clouds in the Northern Hemisphere in 2014
Harvey, V.L., C. Randall, L. Goncharenko, E. Becker and J. France
On the Upward Extension of the Polar Vortices Into the Mesosphere
Kablick, G., M. Fromm, S. Miller, P. Partain, D. Peterson, S. Lee, Y. Zhang, A. Lambert and Z. Li
The Great Slave Lake PyroCb of 5 August 2014: Observations, Simulations, Comparisons With Regular Convection, and Impact on UTLS Water Vapor
Matthias, V. and M. Ern
On the origin of the mesospheric quasi-stationary planetary waves in the unusual Arctic winter 2015/2016
Pancheva, D., P. Mukhtarov and D. Siskind
The quasi-6-day waves in NOGAPS-ALPHA forecast model and their climatology in MLS/Aura measurements 2005–2014
Rüfenacht, R., G. Baumgarten, J. Hildebrand, F. Schranz, V. Matthias, G. Stober, F. Lübken and N. Kämpfer
Validation of middle-atmospheric wind in observations and models
Sato, K., R. Yasui and Y. Miyoshi
The Momentum Budget in the Stratosphere, Mesosphere, and Lower Thermosphere. Part I: Contributions of Different Wave Types and In Situ Generation of Rossby Waves
Yamazaki, Y., C. Stolle, J. Matzka and P. Alken
Quasi-6-Day Wave Modulation of the Equatorial Electrojet
Yamazaki, Y.
Quasi‐6‐Day Wave Effects on the Equatorial Ionization Anomaly Over a Solar Cycle
Yi, W., I. Reid, X. Xue, D. Murphy, C. Hall, M. Tsutsumi, B. Ning, G. Li, J. Younger, T. Chen and X. Dou
High- and Middle-Latitude Neutral Mesospheric Density Response to Geomagnetic Storms
Zawedde, A., H.N. Tyssøy, J. Stadsnes and M. Sandanger
The Impact of Energetic Particle Precipitation on Mesospheric OH - Variability of the Sources and the Background Atmosphere
Gisinger, S., A. Dörnbrack, V. Matthias, J. Doyle, S. Eckermann, B. Ehard, L. Hoffmann, B. Kaifler, C. Kruse and M. Rapp
Atmospheric Conditions during the Deep Propagating Gravity Wave Experiment DEEPWAVE
Smith, A., R. Garcia, A. Moss and N. Mitchell
The Semiannual Oscillation of the Tropical Zonal Wind in the Middle Atmosphere Derived from Satellite Geopotential Height Retrievals
Stober, G., V. Matthias, C. Jacobi, S. Wilhelm, J. Höffner and J. Chau
Exceptionally strong summer-like zonal wind reversal in the upper mesosphere during winter 2015/16
Ern, M., Q. Trinh, M. Kaufmann, I. Krisch, P. Preusse, J. Ungermann, Y. Zhu, J. Gille, M. Mlynczak, J. Russell III, M. Schwartz and M. Riese
Satellite observations of middle atmosphere gravity wave absolute momentum flux and of its vertical gradient during recent stratospheric warmings
Matthias, V., A. Dörnbrack and G. Stober
The extraordinarily strong and cold polar vortex in the early northern winter 2015/2016
Lukianova, R., A. Kozlovsky, S. Shalimov, T. Ulich and M. Lester
Thermal and dynamical perturbations in the winter polar mesosphere-lower thermosphere region associated with sudden stratospheric warmings under conditions of low solar activity
Manney, G., Z. Lawrence, M. Santee, W. Read, N. Livesey, A. Lambert, L. Froidevaux, H. Pumphrey and M. Schwartz
A minor sudden stratospheric warming with a major impact: Transport and polar processing in the 2014/2015 Arctic winter
Merzlyakov, E.G., C. Jacobi and T.V. Solovjova
The year-to-year variability of the autumn transition dates in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere wind regime and its coupling with the dynamics of the stratosphere and troposphere
Younger, J.P., I.M. Reid, R.A. Vincent and D.J. Murphy
A method for estimating the height of a mesospheric density level using meteor radar
Younger, J.P., C.S. Lee, I.M. Reid, R.A. Vincent, Y.H. Kim and D.J. Murphy
The effects of deionization processes on meteor radar diffusion coefficients below 90 km
Lee, J.N., D.L. Wu, G.L. Manney, M.J. Schwartz, A. Lambert, N.J. Livesey, K.R. Minschwaner, H.C. Pumphrey and W.G. Read
Aura Microwave Limb Sounder Observations of the Polar Middle Atmosphere: Dynamics and Transport of CO and H2O
Limpasuven, V., M.J. Alexander, Y.J. Orsolini, D.L. Wu, M. Xue, J.H. Richter and C. Yamashita
Mesoscale simulations of gravity waves during the 2008-2009 major stratospheric sudden warming
McDonald, A.J., R.E. Hibbins and M.J. Jarvis
Properties of the quasi 16 day wave derived form EOS MLS observations
Wu, L., H. Su and J.H. Jiang
Regional simulations of deep convection and biomass burning over South America: 1. Model evaluations using multiple satellite data sets
Lee, J.N., D.L. Wu, G.L. Manney and M.J. Schwartz
Aura Microwave Limb Sounder observations of the Northern Annular Mode: From the mesosphere to the upper troposphere
Manney, G.L., M.J. Schwartz, K. Krueger, M.L. Santee, S. Pawson, J.N. Lee, W.H. Daffer, R.A. Fuller and N.J. Livesey
Aura Microwave Limb Sounder Observations of Dynamics and Transport During the Record-breaking 2009 Arctic Stratospheric Major Warming
Manney, G.L., K. Kruger, S. Pawson, K. Minschwaner, M.J. Schwartz, W.H. Daffer, N.J. Livesey, M.G. Mlynczak, E.E. Remsberg, J.M. Russell and J.W. Waters
The evolution of the stratopause during the 2006 major warming: Satellite Data and Assimilated Meteorological Analyses
Sandford, D.J., M.J. Schwartz and N.J. Mitchell
The Wintertime two-day wave the the Polar Stratosphere, Mesosphere and lower Thermosphere
Schwartz, M.J., D.E. Waliser, B. Tian, D.L. Wu, J.H. Jiang and W.G. Read
Characterization of MJO-Related Upper-Tropospheric Hydrological Processes Using MLS
Schwartz, M.J., A. Lambert, G.L. Manney, W.G. Read, N.J. Livesey, L. Froidevaux, C.O. Ao, P.F. Bernath, C.D. Boone, R.E. Cofield, W.H. Daffer, B.J. Drouin, E.J. Fetzer, R.A. Fuller, R.F. Jarnot, J.H. Jiang, Y.B. Jiang, B.W. Knosp, K. Kruger, J.L.F. Li, M.G. Mlynczak, S. Pawson, J.M. Russell, M.L. Santee, W.V. Snyder, P.C. Stek, R.P. Thurstans, A.M. Tompkins, P.A. Wagner, K.A. Walker, J.W. Waters and D.L. Wu
Validation of the Aura Microwave Limb Sounder Temperature and Geopotential Height Measurements
Cofield, R.E. and P.C. Stek
Design and field-of-view calibration of 114-660 GHz optics of the Earth Observing System Microwave Limb Sounder