• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.525-540
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• 2000

Global temperature trends of middle and upper tropospheres have been investigated using the data of satellite-observed Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) channels 2-3(Ch2, Ch3) during the period of 1980-97 and three GCM (NCEP, ECMWF, GEOS) reanalyses during 1981-93. The global, hemispheric and tropical anomalies, computed from the data during the common period, have been intercompared in the following regions; ocean, land, and both ocean and land. The correlation with MSU in midtropospheric temperatures is the best (r=0.81${\sim}$0.95) in ECMWF, particularly over the tropics. The correlations in upper troposphere are lower (r=0.06${\sim}$0.34) due to poor quality of MSU Ch3 data consistent with previous result. The midtropospheric trends during 1981-93, obtained from MSU and three GCMs, show the global warming of 0.01${\sim}$0.18K decade$^{-1}$. The warmest years have been 1987 and 1991 in El Ni${\tilde{n}$o while the coolest 1993 and 1994 in La Ni${\tilde{n}$a. The warming (0.12${\sim}$0.13K decade$^{-1}$) in MSU over global ocean is similar to that over global land. The largest discrepancy in upper troposphere between MSU and GCMs has been found in the transition period (1984. 12-1985. 1) from NOAA 9 to 10, because of a sizable error in the MSU Ch3. The midtropospheric trends near the Korean peninsula during 1981-93 are almost negligible(-0.02K decade$^{-1}$) in MSU, but indicate significant warming (0.25-0.43K decade$^{-1}$) in GCMs. The trends are crosschecked and discussed with other two independent MSU data of Spencer and Christy (1992a, 1992b).