Abstract The characteristics of temperature inversion (TI) are believed to be dependent on topographical features and synoptic regime. Western Ghats (WGs) mountains located in the west coast of India have a complex topography, and the TI features for this region remain unknown due to the complexity and non-availability of observational datasets. This study investigates the TI characteristics in the troposphere using high-resolution radiosonde data (2012–2015). The radiosonde measurements were from Mahabaleshwar (17.92°N, 73.6°E, ~1.4 km above mean sea level, AMSL), a high-altitude site on the WGs. The characteristics of TI in terms of height, depth, and strength (i.e., the temperature difference between the base and top of the inversion layer) are studied. The results showed that the TI occurs in all the seasons, however, their frequency differs. Winter (Dec.-Feb.) shows the maximum number of inversions followed by pre-monsoon (Mar.-May), post-monsoon (Oct.-Nov.), and monsoon (Jun.-Sep.). In winter, the depth of the inversion is higher; however, the inversion strength is weaker as compared to other seasons. The TI strength is always below 5 K. Apart from surface-based inversions, elevated and upper-tropospheric inversions are also observed. Vertical and horizontal wind shear profiles from ERA-5 data are analyzed to examine the plausible mechanism for the TI to occur.

中文翻译：

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西高止山脉地区无线电探空仪测量的温度反演特征

摘要 逆温(TI) 的特征被认为取决于地形特征和天气状况。位于印度西海岸的西高止山脉 (WGs) 山脉地形复杂，由于观测数据集的复杂性和不可用性，该地区的 TI 特征仍然未知。本研究使用高分辨率无线电探空仪数据（2012-2015 年）调查对流层中的 TI 特征。无线电探空仪测量来自工作组上的高海拔站点 Mahabaleshwar（北纬 17.92°，东经 73.6°，平均海平面以上约 1.4 公里，AMSL）。研究了 TI 在高度、深度和强度（即逆温层底部和顶部之间的温差）方面的特性。结果表明，TI在所有季节都发生，但频率不同。冬季（12 月至 2 月）显示最大逆温次数，其次是季风前（3 月至 5 月）、季风后（10 月至 11 月）和季风（6 月至 9 月）。冬季，逆温深度较高；然而，与其他季节相比，反转强度较弱。TI 强度始终低于 5 K。除了基于地表的逆温外，还观察到升高的和对流层上层逆温。分析来自 ERA-5 数据的垂直和水平风切变剖面，以检查 TI 发生的合理机制。除了基于地表的逆温外，还观察到升高的和对流层上层逆温。分析来自 ERA-5 数据的垂直和水平风切变剖面，以检查 TI 发生的可能机制。除了基于地表的逆温外，还观察到升高的和对流层上层逆温。分析来自 ERA-5 数据的垂直和水平风切变剖面，以检查 TI 发生的可能机制。