Abstracts are closed! The deadline was 27 August 2025 at 5:00 PM ET
Abstract Fee and Author Instructions
All presenters must also register for the meeting.
The 23rd Conference on Middle Atmosphere is organized by the AMS Committee on Middle Atmosphere and hosted by the American Meteorological Society. It will be held during the 2026 106th AMS Annual meeting 25 to 29 January 2026 in Houston, Texas & online
Papers are solicited on the following topics:
Recent works have revealed a wide variety of connections between tropical convection and the middle atmosphere. In this planned session, contributions are solicited relating to (a) stratospheric influences on deep tropical convection and the MJO; (b) the influence of tropical convection (including the MJO) on stratospheric circulation and variability, (b) stratospheric influences on tropical/extratropical teleconnections or via direct downward propagation of circulation anomalies in the polar stratosphere; (c) the relative importance of the stratospheric influence on tropical convection and extratropical circulation as compared to that of variability originating in the troposphere–ocean system (e.g., ENSO variability).
This session invites studies addressing upper tropospheric and stratospheric aerosols and interactions with chemistry, dynamics and climate. Of particular interest are 1) studies examining upper troposphere/lower stratosphere aerosols using measurements from recent field campaigns, and 2) studies on chemical and dynamical perturbations on the upper troposphere and stratosphere due to episodic events such as large pyro-cumulonimbus events and volcanic eruptions that reach the stratosphere and 3) perturbations caused by the space flight industry and 4) stratospheric aerosol-ozone-climate interactions associated with geo-engineering schemes. Observational and modeling studies ranging from local to global spatial scales and seasonal to centennial time scales as well as laboratory studies are all welcome.
Gravity waves have long been known as a critical driver of the general circulation of the middle and upper atmosphere through their ability to transport significant energy and momentum upwards from multiple tropospheric sources. Their role in modulating temperature, wind patterns, and chemical composition has a profound impact on climate, weather, and the overall behavior of the middle atmosphere. Despite their importance, understanding the sources, propagation, and dissipation effects of these waves from theory and observations and implementing this into global models has been a major challenge in recent decades.
In this session, we welcome abstracts on new developments (both physics- and machine-learning based) in gravity wave science from observations, modeling, and theory, including coupling to surface weather below and space weather in the ionosphere and thermosphere above. In all these areas, we strongly encourage and highlight validation studies that seek to compare observed gravity waves and their associated impacts in the middle atmosphere with predictions from relevant theories, models, or parameterization schemes.
The middle atmosphere plays an essential role in the global climate system and can influence tropospheric weather and air quality through dynamical and transport pathways. Significant progress has been made in simulating middle atmospheric processes, including the Brewer-Dobson circulation, ozone chemistry, and the climatic impacts of volcanic eruptions. However, challenges remain, such as accurately modeling the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) and its teleconnections with the tropospheric processes. This session invites studies that evaluate the performance of current climate models in representing middle atmospheric processes, as well as efforts aimed at improving their simulation. We welcome contributions focused on, but not limited to:
-Dynamics: the Brewer-Dobson circulation, QBO, Semi-Annual Oscillation (SAO), gravity waves, polar vortex variability (including the Sudden Stratospheric Warming events), and stratosphere-troposphere exchange.
- Chemistry: Ozone, water vapor, nitrogen species, and their climate impact.
- Aerosols: Sulfate and nitrate aerosols, impacts of episodic events like large pyroCb events and volcanic eruptions, perturbation from the space flight industry, and geoengineering.
We also encourage submissions that examine the interactions between these processes, such as how aerosol and chemical compositions influence dynamics, and how dynamics, in turn, shape the distribution and impacts of aerosols and trace gases. By bringing together observational, theoretical, and modeling perspectives, this session aims to identify current gaps, highlight recent advancements, and foster discussions on improving the representation of middle atmospheric processes in climate models.
The current generation of long-term reanalysis datasets has benefited from improved representation of the middle atmosphere, with many reanalyses now assimilating high vertical resolution spaceborne observations of stratospheric ozone and stratospheric and mesospheric temperature, among other improvements. In addition, capability is growing for using chemical data assimilation to capture the long-term evolution of stratospheric composition. Several long-term data records formed from directly merging observations from multiple spaceborne and ground-based sensors now exist and are widely used in scientific research. We welcome papers describing advances in the generation and validation of these valuable data resources, as well as studies using these datasets to advance our understanding of the middle atmosphere.
Joint Sessions:
Please submit abstracts electronically via the Web no later than 14 August 2025. A fee of $120 (payable by credit card or purchase order) is charged at the time of submission of each abstract (refundable only if abstract is not accepted).
Authors of accepted presentations will be notified via e-mail by October 2025. Instructions for formatting extended abstracts are posted on the AMS website. All abstracts, extended abstracts, and presentations (including the recordings of those who grant permission) are available on the AMS website.
For additional information, please contact the program chairs: Clara Orbe (clara.orbe@nasa.gov), Pu Lin (pulin@princeton.edu), Peter Hitchcock (aph28@cornell.edu), Yaowei Li (yaoweili@seas.harvard.edu), Eric Ray (eric.ray@noaa.gov), Dr. Jessica Oehrlein (joehrlei@fitchburgstate.edu), and Martina Bramberger (bramberg@ucar.edu).