Scale dependence of tracer microstructure: PDFs, intermittency and the dissipation scale

Thestatisticsoftracervariabilityonsmallscales (< 200 km) is investigated using high resolution aircraft measurements of ozone in the northern winter middle/high latitudes. Conditioning based on potential temperature is used to isolate the statistics of lamentation on isentropic surfacesfromspuriousvariabilityduetocross-isentropicmo- tion of the platform. The distribution of isentropic incre- ments r in the tracer eld across a horizontal scale r have non-Gaussian tails and are consistent with stretched exponential functions of the form P(r)exp(-ajrj p ), where a is a scale-dependent parameter and the exponent p increases overall with r. A scale break in the second order structure function suggests a dissipation scale rd 20 km during northern winter 91-92, but the scale break is closer to 100 km during northern winter 88-89. Possible reasons for this are discussed.

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