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Global Trends in Water Vapour

Abstract: Stratospheric water vapour is an important greenhouse gas subject to a positive feedback cycle with surface temperature. Work has been done over the last two decades to characterize its behaviour in the stratosphere, and while general consensus shows that stratospheric water vapour is increasing, the majority of studies come to this conclusion using observations from a single area and generalizing over the globe. While this works for well mixed gases, such as carbon dioxide, water vapour displays distinct patterns across the globe. In this talk I will illustrate an alternate approach, using data collected by ACE-FTS and fitting discrete regions across the globe, in an attempt to generate a more comprehensive view of stratospheric water vapour trends.