The following is an analysis of temperature profiles for one longitude and all latitudes for which there are RAOBs for a date chosen at random, 1999 July 13 (today).  The maps show a jet stream at 46 N, and I don't have info on the southern hemisphere, SH, jet stream location but I suspect (based on the double tropopauses there) that the SH jet is at about 33 S.  The "one" longitude is Canada, USA, Mexico, Central America, western coast of South America, and Antarctica.

Figure 0.  Location of jet stream.

Figure 1.  Latitude distribution of RAOBs for this epoch and longitude (about -100).

Figure 2.  The northernmost 10 sites.  All cases are single tropopauses.

Figure 3.  Equatorial sites.

Figure 4.  Southern Hemisphere sites, showing double tropopauses (must be a stronger jet there).  The cold profile is from Antarctica (76 S).
 

Figure 5.  Relationship of tropopause altitude and temperature.

Figure 5 is remarkable, as it shows that if you exclude the upper trop of the double tropopause cases and winter polar tropopauses the rest align close to a line given by:

    T[C] = -80 [C] -3.8*(Zgtrop - 17.2 km)

Surely, this correlation can be used to enhance MTP T(z) solutions.  It should also help provide guidance in determining whether a given situation is a double tropopuase case or not.

I may add comments to this web page as I continue to think about some of the unexpected "results."

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This site opened:  July  13, 1999.  Last Update: July 13, 1999