Gelman, M. E., V. Ramaswamy, J. Angell, J. Barnett, M. L.Chanin, J. Christy, L. Coy, D. Cullum, P. Kechhut, Y. Koshelkov, K. Labitzke, J-J. Lin, C. S. Long, A. J. Miller, J. Nash, A. O'Neill, A. Oort, W. Randel, K. P. Shine, and R. Swinbank, 1997: Stratospheric temperature trends derived from SPARC datasets. In Stratospheric Processes and Their Role in Climate (SPARC), Proceedings of the First SPARC General Assembly, WMO/TD-No. 814, WCRP-99, World Meteorological Organization, 153-156.

Abstract: The SPARC Stratospheric Temperature Trends Assessment Group has collected 12 datasets of monthly mean, zonal mean stratospheric temperatures, for the purpose of deriving a best estimate of global stratospheric temperature trends. All but one of the datasets cover the years 1979 to 1994, and some extend further back in time. The pressure-altitude levels of the datasets vary, but overall they cover the range 100 to 0.4 hPa (approximately 16-55 km). The datasets represent compilations from ground-based instruments (e.g., radiosondes), satellite instruments (brightness temperatures), analyses (which use one or both of the two other data sources), and assimilation analyses (which use a numerical model in the procedure). Most datasets provide temperatures at specific pressure-levels, but some provide data as mean temperatures representative of various pressure-layers.

Temperature trends and their estimated errors have been calculated over the basic period 1979 to 1994 from each dataset, and for 1966 to 1994 for those datasets covering the extended period. This paper describes some attributes of the various datasets and plans of comparisons of temperature trend computations from the datasets.