Gravity wave activity in the middle atmosphere from SATI airglow observations at northern mid-latitude: Seasonal variation and comparison with tidal and planetary wave-like activity

2020 ◽  
Vol 206 ◽  
pp. 105329 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.J. López-González ◽  
M. García-Comas ◽  
E. Rodríguez ◽  
M. López-Puertas ◽  
I. Olivares ◽  
...  
2001 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 1019-1025 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. N. Sasi ◽  
L. Vijayan

Abstract. Turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rates (ε) and eddy diffusion coefficients (Kz) in the tropical mesosphere over Gadanki (13.5° N, 79.2° E), estimated from Doppler widths of MST radar echoes (vertical beam), observed over a 3-year period, show a seasonal variation with a dominant summer maximum. The observed seasonal variation of ε and Kz in the mesosphere is only partially consistent with that of gravity wave activity inferred from mesospheric winds and temperatures measured by rockets for a period of 9 years at Trivandrum (8.5° N, 77° E) (which shows two equinox and one summer maxima) lying close to Gadanki. The summer maximum of mesospheric ε and Kz values appears to be related to the enhanced gravity wave activity over the low-latitude Indian subcontinent during the southwest monsoon period (June – September). Both ε and Kz in the mesosphere over Gadanki show an increase with an increase in height during all seasons. The absolute values of observed ε and Kz in the mesosphere (above ~80 km) does not show significant differences from those reported for high latitudes. Comparison of observed Kz values during the winter above Gadanki with those over Arecibo (18.5° N, 66° W) shows that they are not significantly different from each other above the ~80 km altitude.Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics; tropical meteorology; wave and tides)


2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 1159-1173 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Goldberg ◽  
D. C. Fritts ◽  
F. J. Schmidlin ◽  
B. P. Williams ◽  
C. L. Croskey ◽  
...  

Abstract. MaCWAVE (Mountain and Convective Waves Ascending VErtically) was a highly coordinated rocket, ground-based, and satellite program designed to address gravity wave forcing of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT). The MaCWAVE program was conducted at the Norwegian Andøya Rocket Range (ARR, 69.3° N) in July 2002, and continued at the Swedish Rocket Range (Esrange, 67.9° N) during January 2003. Correlative instrumentation included the ALOMAR MF and MST radars and RMR and Na lidars, Esrange MST and meteor radars and RMR lidar, radiosondes, and TIMED (Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics) satellite measurements of thermal structures. The data have been used to define both the mean fields and the wave field structures and turbulence generation leading to forcing of the large-scale flow. In summer, launch sequences coupled with ground-based measurements at ARR addressed the forcing of the summer mesopause environment by anticipated convective and shear generated gravity waves. These motions were measured with two 12-h rocket sequences, each involving one Terrier-Orion payload accompanied by a mix of MET rockets, all at ARR in Norway. The MET rockets were used to define the temperature and wind structure of the stratosphere and mesosphere. The Terrier-Orions were designed to measure small-scale plasma fluctuations and turbulence that might be induced by wave breaking in the mesosphere. For the summer series, three European MIDAS (Middle Atmosphere Dynamics and Structure) rockets were also launched from ARR in coordination with the MaCWAVE payloads. These were designed to measure plasma and neutral turbulence within the MLT. The summer program exhibited a number of indications of significant departures of the mean wind and temperature structures from ``normal" polar summer conditions, including an unusually warm mesopause and a slowing of the formation of polar mesospheric summer echoes (PMSE) and noctilucent clouds (NLC). This was suggested to be due to enhanced planetary wave activity in the Southern Hemisphere and a surprising degree of inter-hemispheric coupling. The winter program was designed to study the upward propagation and penetration of mountain waves from northern Scandinavia into the MLT at a site favored for such penetration. As the major response was expected to be downstream (east) of Norway, these motions were measured with similar rocket sequences to those used in the summer campaign, but this time at Esrange. However, a major polar stratospheric warming just prior to the rocket launch window induced small or reversed stratospheric zonal winds, which prevented mountain wave penetration into the mesosphere. Instead, mountain waves encountered critical levels at lower altitudes and the observed wave structure in the mesosphere originated from other sources. For example, a large-amplitude semidiurnal tide was observed in the mesosphere on 28 and 29 January, and appears to have contributed to significant instability and small-scale structures at higher altitudes. The resulting energy deposition was found to be competitive with summertime values. Hence, our MaCWAVE measurements as a whole are the first to characterize influences in the MLT region of planetary wave activity and related stratospheric warmings during both winter and summer.


2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. 2471-2480 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Ramkumar ◽  
T. M. Antonita ◽  
Y. Bhavani Kumar ◽  
H. Venkata Kumar ◽  
D. Narayana Rao

Abstract. Altitude profiles of temperature in the stratospheric and mesopheric region from lidar observations at NARL, Gadanki, India, during December 2002–April 2005, as part of ISRO's Middle Atmospheric Dynamics – "MIDAS (2002–2005)" program are used to study the characteristics of gravity waves and their seasonal variation. Month-to-month variation of the gravity wave activity observed during the period of December 2002–April 2005 show maximum wave activity, with primary peaks in May 2003, August 2004 and March 2005 and secondary peaks in February 2003 and November 2004. This month-to-month variation in gravity wave activity is linked to the variation in the strength of the sources, viz. convection and wind shear, down below at the tropospheric region, estimated from MST radar measurements at the same location. Horizontal wind shear is found to be mostly correlated with wave activity than convection, and sometimes both sources are found to contribute towards the wave activity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alain Hauchecorne ◽  
Chantal Claud ◽  
Philippe Keckhut

<p>Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) is the most spectacular dynamic event occurring in the middle atmosphere. It can lead to a warming of the winter polar stratosphere by a few tens of K in one to two weeks and a reversal of the stratospheric circulation from wintertime prevailing westerly winds to easterly winds similar to summer conditions. This strong modification of the stratospheric circulation has consequences for several applications, including the modification of the stratospheric infrasound guide. Depending on the date of the SSW, the westerly circulation can be re-established if the SSW occurs in mid-winter or the summer easterly circulation can be definitively established if the SSW occurs in late winter. In the latter case it is called Final Warming (FW). Each year, it is possible to define the date of the FW as the date of the final inversion of the zonal wind at 60°N - 10 hPa . If the FW is associated with a strong peak of planetary wave activity and a rapid increase in polar temperature, it is classified as dynamic FW. If the transition to the easterly wind is smooth without planetary wave activity, the FW is classified as radiative.</p><p>The analysis of the ERA5 database, which has recently been extended to 1950 (71 years of data), allowed a statistical analysis of the evolution of the stratosphere in winter. The main conclusions of this study will be presented :</p><p>- the state of the polar vortex in a given month is anticorrelated with its state 2 to 3 months earlier. The beginning of winter is anticorrelated with mid-winter and mid-winter is anticorrelated with the end of winter;</p><p>- dynamic FWs occur early in the season (March - early April) and are associated with a strong positive polar temperature anomaly, while radiative FWs occur later (late April - early May) without a polar temperature anomaly;</p><p>- the summer stratosphere (polar temperature and zonal wind) keeps the memory of its state in April-May at the time of FW at least until July .</p><p>These results could help to improve medium-range weather forecasts in the Northern Hemisphere due to the strong dynamic coupling between the troposphere and stratosphere during SSW events.</p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5117-5128
Author(s):  
René Sedlak ◽  
Alexandra Zuhr ◽  
Carsten Schmidt ◽  
Sabine Wüst ◽  
Michael Bittner ◽  
...  

Abstract. The period range between 6 and 480 min is known to represent the major part of the gravity wave spectrum driving mesospheric dynamics. We present a method using wavelet analysis to calculate gravity wave activity with a high period resolution and apply it to temperature data acquired with the OH* airglow spectrometers called GRIPS (GRound-based Infrared P-branch Spectrometer) within the framework of the NDMC (Network for the Detection of Mesospheric Change; https://ndmc.dlr.de, last access: 22 September 2020). We analyse data measured at the NDMC sites Abastumani in Georgia (ABA; 41.75∘ N, 42.82∘ E), ALOMAR (Arctic Lidar Observatory for Middle Atmosphere Research) in Norway (ALR; 69.28∘ N, 16.01∘ E), Neumayer Station III in the Antarctic (NEU; 70.67∘ S, 8.27∘ W), Observatoire de Haute-Provence in France (OHP; 43.93∘ N, 5.71∘ E), Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany (OPN; 48.09∘ N, 11.28∘ E), Sonnblick in Austria (SBO; 47.05∘ N, 12.95∘ E), Tel Aviv in Israel (TAV; 32.11∘ N, 34.80∘ E), and the Environmental Research Station Schneefernerhaus on top of Zugspitze mountain in Germany (UFS; 47.42∘ N, 10.98∘ E). All eight instruments are identical in construction and deliver consistent and comparable data sets. For periods shorter than 60 min, gravity wave activity is found to be relatively low and hardly shows any seasonal variability on the timescale of months. We find a semi-annual cycle with maxima during winter and summer for gravity waves with periods longer than 60 min, which gradually develops into an annual cycle with a winter maximum for longer periods. The transition from a semi-annual pattern to a primarily annual pattern starts around a gravity wave period of 200 min. Although there are indications of enhanced gravity wave sources above mountainous terrain, the overall pattern of gravity wave activity does not differ significantly for the abovementioned observation sites. Thus, large-scale mechanisms such as stratospheric wind filtering seem to dominate the evolution of mesospheric gravity wave activity.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
S. Brand ◽  
K. Dethloff ◽  
D. Handorf

Based on 150-year equilibrium simulations using the atmosphere-ocean-sea ice general circulation model (AOGCM) ECHO-GiSP, the southern hemisphere winter circulation is examined focusing on tropo-stratosphere coupling and wave dynamics. The model covers the troposphere and strato-mesosphere up to 80 km height and includes an interactive stratospheric chemistry. Compared to the reference simulation without interactive chemistry, the interactive simulation shows a weaker polar vortex in the middle atmosphere and is shifted towards the negative phase of the Antarctic Oscillation (AAO) in the troposphere. Differing from the northern hemisphere winter situation, the tropospheric planetary wave activity is weakened. A detailed analysis shows, that the modelled AAO zonal mean signal behaves antisymmetrically between troposphere and strato-mesosphere. This conclusion is supported by reanalysis data and a discussion of planetary wave dynamics in terms of Eliassen-Palm fluxes. Thereby, the tropospheric planetary wave activity appears to be controlled from the middle atmosphere.


1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 1014-1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Pancheva ◽  
J. Laštovička

Abstract. On the basis of MEM spectrum analysis, the main planetary scale fluctuations formed in the lower ionosphere are studied over a period of 3–25 days during the CRISTA campaign (October-November 1994). Three dominant period bands are found: 3–5, 6–8 and 15–23 (mainly 16–18) days. For 7–8 and 16–18 day fluctuations, propagation was eastward with wave numbers K = 3 and K = 1, respectively. The magnitude of planetary wave activity in the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere during the CRISTA campaign seems to be fairly consistent with the expected undisturbed normal/climatological state of the atmosphere at altitudes of 80–100 km.Key words. Ionosphere (ionosphere-atmosphere interactions) · Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics (middle atmosphere dynamics; waves and tides)


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