scholarly journals Inertia gravity waves in the upper troposphere during the MaCWAVE winter campaign – Part II: Radar investigations and modelling studies

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 2863-2875 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Serafimovich ◽  
Ch. Zülicke ◽  
P. Hoffmann ◽  
D. Peters ◽  
P. Dalin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Wave ◽  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Mesoscale Model ◽  
Wave Activity ◽  
Model Data ◽  
Vhf Radar ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Radar Measurements ◽  
Horizontal Momentum ◽  
Inertia Gravity Waves

Abstract. We present an experimental and modelling study of a strong gravity wave event in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere near the Scandinavian mountain ridge. Continuous VHF radar measurements during the MaCWAVE rocket and ground-based measurement campaign were performed at the Norwegian Andoya Rocket Range (ARR) near Andenes (69.3° N, 16° E) in January 2003. Detailed gravity wave investigations based on PSU/NCAR Fifth-Generation Mesoscale Model (MM5) data have been used for comparison with experimentally obtained results. The model data show the presence of a mountain wave and of an inertia gravity wave generated by a jet streak near the tropopause region. Temporal and spatial dependencies of jet induced inertia gravity waves with dominant observed periods of about 13 h and vertical wavelengths of ~4.5–5 km are investigated with wavelet transform applied on radar measurements and model data. The jet induced wave packet is observed to move upstream and downward in the upper troposphere. The model data agree with the experimentally obtained results fairly well. Possible reasons for the observed differences, e.g. in the time of maximum of the wave activity, are discussed. Finally, the vertical fluxes of horizontal momentum are estimated with different methods and provide similar amplitudes. We found indications that the derived positive vertical flux of the horizontal momentum corresponds to the obtained parameters of the jet-induced inertia gravity wave, but only at the periods and heights of the strongest wave activity.

scholarly journals Simulation of Inertia–Gravity Waves in a Poleward-Breaking Rossby Wave

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 3253-3276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Zülicke ◽  
Dieter Peters
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Wave ◽  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Rossby Wave ◽  
Rossby Waves ◽  
Mesoscale Model ◽  
Wave Packets ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Jet Streak ◽  
Horizontal Wavelength ◽  
Inertia Gravity Waves

Poleward-breaking Rossby waves often induce an upper-level jet streak over northern Europe. Dominant inertia–gravity wave packets are observed downstream of this jet. The physical processes of their generation and propagation, in such a configuration, are investigated with a mesoscale model. The study is focused on an observational campaign from 17 to 19 December 1999 over northern Germany. Different simulations with the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University–National Center for Atmospheric Research (PSU–NCAR) Mesoscale Model (MM5) have been performed. For a high-resolution process study, three domains were set up that encompass the evolution of Rossby waves and that of inertia–gravity waves. To minimize the impact of model damping, the horizontal and vertical resolution has been adjusted appropriately. With a novel statistical approach, the properties of inertia–gravity wave packets have been estimated. This method uses the horizontal divergence field and takes into account the spatial extension of a wave packet. It avoids the explicit treatment of the background field and works for arbitrary wavelength. Two classes of inertia–gravity waves were found: subsynoptic waves with a horizontal wavelength of about 500 km and mesoscale waves with a horizontal wavelength of about 200 km. The subsynoptic structures were also detected in radiosonde observations during this campaign. The similarity between simulated and observed wavelengths and amplitudes suggests that the simulations can be considered as near realistic. Spontaneous radiation from unbalanced flow is an important process of inertia–gravity wave generation. Synoptic-scale imbalances in the exit region of the upper-tropospheric jet streak were identified with the smoothed cross-stream Lagrangian Rossby number. In a number of simulations with different physics, it was found that the inertia–gravity wave activity was related to the tropospheric jet, orography, and moist convection. The upward propagation of inertia–gravity waves was favored during this event of a poleward-breaking Rossby wave. The presence of the polar vortex induced background winds exceeding the critical line. Consequently, the activity of inertia–gravity waves in the lower stratosphere increased by an order of magnitude during the case study. The successful simulation of the complex processes of generation and propagation showed the important role of poleward Rossby wave breaking for the appearance of inertia–gravity waves in the midlatitudes.

scholarly journals Atmospheric inertia-gravity waves retrieved from level-2 data of the satellite microwave limb sounder Aura/MLS

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 781-788
Author(s):  
Klemens Hocke ◽  
Martin Lainer ◽  
Lorena Moreira ◽  
Jonas Hagen ◽  
Susana Fernandez Vidal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Wave ◽  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Deep Convection ◽  
Satellite Orbit ◽  
Wave Activity ◽  
Strong Wind ◽  
Wave Maps ◽  
Tropical Deep Convection ◽  
Level 2 ◽  
Inertia Gravity Waves

Abstract. The temperature profiles of the satellite experiment Aura/MLS are horizontally spaced by 1.5° or 165 km along the satellite orbit. These level-2 data contain valuable information about horizontal fluctuations in temperature, which are mainly induced by inertia-gravity waves. Wave periods of 2–12 h, horizontal wavelengths of 200–1500 km, and vertical wavelengths of 6–30 km efficiently contribute to the standard deviation of the horizontal temperature fluctuations. The study retrieves and discusses the global distributions of inertia-gravity waves in the stratosphere and mesosphere during July 2015 and January 2016. We find many patterns that were previously present in data of TIMED/SABER, Aura/HIRDLS, and ECMWF analysis. However, it seems that Aura/MLS achieves a higher vertical resolution in the gravity wave maps since the maps are derived from the analysis of horizontal fluctuations along the orbit of the sounding volume. The zonal mean of the inertia-gravity wave distribution shows vertical modulations with scales of 10–20 km. Enhanced wave amplitudes occur in regions of increased zonal wind or in the vicinity of strong wind gradients. Further, we find a banana-like shape of enhanced inertia-gravity waves above the Andes in the winter mesosphere. We find areas of enhanced inertia-gravity wave activity above tropical deep convection zones at 100 hPa (z ∼ 13 km). Finally, we study the temporal evolution of inertia-gravity wave activity at 100 hPa in the African longitude sector from December 2015 to February 2016.

scholarly journals Investigation of inertia-gravity waves in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere over northern Germany observed with collocated VHF/UHF radars

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 4339-4381 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Serafimovich ◽  
P. Hoffmann ◽  
D. Peters ◽  
V. Lehmann
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Lower Stratosphere ◽  
Wave Parameter ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Northern Germany ◽  
Vhf Radar ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Rossby Wave Breaking ◽  
Uhf Wind Profiler ◽  
Inertia Gravity Waves

Abstract. A case study to investigate the properties of inertia-gravity waves in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere has been carried out over Northern Germany during the occurrence of an upper tropospheric jet in connection with a poleward Rossby wave breaking event from 17-19 December 1999. The investigations are based on continuous radar measurements with the OSWIN VHF radar at Kühlungsborn (54.1° N, 11.8° E) and the 482 MHz UHF wind profiler at Lindenberg (52.2° N, 14.1° E). Both radars are separated by about 265 km. Based on wavelet transformations of both data sets, the dominant vertical wavelengths of about 2–4 km for fixed times as well as the dominant observed periods of about 11 h for the altitude range between 5 and 8 km are comparable. Gravity wave parameter have been estimated at both locations separately and by a complex cross-spectral analysis of the data of both radars. The results show the appearance of dominating inertia-gravity waves with characteristic horizontal wavelengths between 600 and 300 km moving in the opposite direction than the mean background wind and a secondary less pronounced wave with a horizontal wavelength in the order of about 200 km moving with the wind. Temporal and spatial differences of the observed waves are discussed.

scholarly journals Investigation of inertia-gravity waves in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere over Northern Germany observed with collocated VHF/UHF radars

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Serafimovich ◽  
P. Hoffmann ◽  
D. Peters ◽  
V. Lehmann
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Lower Stratosphere ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Northern Germany ◽  
Vhf Radar ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
Rossby Wave Breaking ◽  
Spatial Differences ◽  
Uhf Wind Profiler ◽  
Inertia Gravity Waves

Abstract. A case study to investigate the properties of inertia-gravity waves in the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere has been carried out over Northern Germany during the occurrence of an upper tropospheric jet in connection with a poleward Rossby wave breaking event from 17-19 December 1999. The investigations are based on the evaluation of continuous radar measurements with the OSWIN VHF radar at Kühlungsborn (54.1 N, 11.8 E) and the 482 MHz UHF wind profiler at Lindenberg (52.2 N, 14.1 E). Both radars are separated by about 265 km. Based on wavelet transformations of both data sets, the dominant vertical wavelengths of about 2-4 km for fixed times as well as the dominant observed periods of about 11 h and weaker oscillations with periods of  6 h for the altitude range between 5 and 8 km are comparable. Gravity wave parameters have been estimated at both locations separately and by a complex cross-spectral analysis of the data of both radars. The results show the appearance of dominating inertia-gravity waves with characteristic horizontal wavelengths of  300 km moving in the opposite direction than the mean background wind and a secondary less pronounced wave with a horizontal wavelength in the order of about 200 km moving with the wind. Temporal and spatial differences of the observed waves are discussed.

scholarly journals Seasonal variation of gravity waves in the Equatorial Middle Atmosphere: results from ISRO's Middle Atmospheric Dynamics (MIDAS) program

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. 2471-2480 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Ramkumar ◽  
T. M. Antonita ◽  
Y. Bhavani Kumar ◽  
H. Venkata Kumar ◽  
D. Narayana Rao
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Gravity Wave ◽  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Wind Shear ◽  
Middle Atmosphere ◽  
Wave Activity ◽  
Atmospheric Dynamics ◽  
Horizontal Wind ◽  
Middle Atmospheric Dynamics ◽  
Radar Measurements

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.

scholarly journals Inertia gravity waves in the upper troposphere during the MaCWAVE winter campaign – Part I: Observations with collocated radars

2006 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 2851-2862 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Hoffmann ◽  
A. Serafimovich ◽  
D. Peters ◽  
P. Dalin ◽  
R. Goldberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Opposite Direction ◽  
Background Wind ◽  
Energy Propagation ◽  
Mountain Ridge ◽  
Vhf Radar ◽  
Mountain Waves ◽  
Upper Troposphere ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Inertia Gravity Waves

Abstract. During the {MaCWAVE} campaign, combined rocket, radiosonde and ground-based measurements have been performed at the Norwegian Andøya Rocket Range (ARR) near Andenes and the Swedish Rocket Range (ESRANGE) near Kiruna in January 2003 to study gravity waves in the vicinity of the Scandinavian mountain ridge. The investigations presented here are mainly based on the evaluation of continuous radar measurements with the ALWIN VHF radar in the upper troposphere/ lower stratosphere at Andenes (69.3° N, 16.0° E) and the ESRAD VHF radar near Kiruna (67.9° N, 21.9° E). Both radars are separated by about 260 km. Based on wavelet transformations of both data sets, the strongest activity of inertia gravity waves in the upper troposphere has been detected during the first period from 24–26 January 2003 with dominant vertical wavelengths of about 4–5 km as well as with dominant observed periods of about 13–14 h for the altitude range between 5 and 8 km under the additional influence of mountain waves. The results show the appearance of dominating inertia gravity waves with characteristic horizontal wavelengths of ~200 km moving in the opposite direction than the mean background wind. The results show the appearance of dominating inertia gravity waves with intrinsic periods in the order of ~5 h and with horizontal wavelengths of 200 km, moving in the opposite direction than the mean background wind. From the derived downward energy propagation it is supposed, that these waves are likely generated by a jet streak in the upper troposphere. The parameters of the jet-induced gravity waves have been estimated at both sites separately. The identified gravity waves are coherent at both locations and show higher amplitudes on the east-side of the Scandinavian mountain ridge, as expected by the influence of mountains.

scholarly journals Influence of the cloud-level neutral layer on the vertical propagation of topographically generated gravity waves on Venus

2019 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takeru Yamada ◽  
Takeshi Imamura ◽  
Tetsuya Fukuhara ◽  
Makoto Taguchi
Keyword(s):  
Layer Thickness ◽  
Gravity Wave ◽  
Local Time ◽  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Analytical Approach ◽  
Wave Activity ◽  
Neutral Layer ◽  
Low Latitudes ◽  
Vertical Propagation ◽  
The Waves

AbstractThe reason for stationary gravity waves at Venus’ cloud top to appear mostly at low latitudes in the afternoon is not understood. Since a neutral layer exists in the lower part of the cloud layer, the waves should be affected by the neutral layer before reaching the cloud top. To what extent gravity waves can propagate vertically through the neutral layer has been unclear. To examine the possibility that the variation of the neutral layer thickness is responsible for the dependence of the gravity wave activity on the latitude and the local time, we investigated the sensitivity of the vertical propagation of gravity waves on the neutral layer thickness using a numerical model. The results showed that stationary gravity waves with zonal wavelengths longer than 1000 km can propagate to the cloud-top level without notable attenuation in the neutral layer with realistic thicknesses of 5–15 km. This suggests that the observed latitudinal and local time variation of the gravity wave activity should be attributed to processes below the cloud. An analytical approach also showed that gravity waves with horizontal wavelengths shorter than tens of kilometers would be strongly attenuated in the neutral layer; such waves should originate in the altitude region above the neutral layer.

scholarly journals Seasonal changes in gravity wave activity measured by lidars at mid-latitudes

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (22) ◽  
pp. 6775-6787 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Rauthe ◽  
M. Gerding ◽  
F.-J. Lübken
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Wave ◽  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Wave Activity ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Atmospheric Physics ◽  
Adverse Weather Conditions ◽  
Comprehensive Information ◽  
Adverse Weather

Abstract. More than 230 nights of temperature measurements between 1 and 105 km have been performed at the Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Kühlungsborn with a combination of two different lidars, i.e. a Rayleigh-Mie-Raman lidar and a potassium lidar. About 1700 h of measurements have been collected between 2002 and 2006. Apart from some gaps due to the adverse weather conditions the measurements are well distributed throughout the year. Comprehensive information about the activity of medium- and low-frequency gravity waves was extracted from this data set. The dominating vertical wavelengths found are between 10 and 20 km and do not show any seasonal variation. In contrast the temperature fluctuations due to gravity waves experience a clear annual cycle with a maximum in winter. The most significant differences exist around 60 km where the fluctuations in winter are more than two times larger than they are in summer. Only small seasonal differences are observed above 90 km and below 35 km. Generally, the fluctuations grow from about 0.5 K up to 8 K between 20 and 100 km. Damping of waves is observed at nearly all altitudes and in all seasons. The planetary wave activity shows a similar structure in altitude and season as the gravity wave activity which indicates that similar mechanisms influencing different scales. Combining the monthly mean temperatures and the fluctuations we show that the transition between winter and summer season and vice versa seems to start in the mesopause region and to penetrate downward.

scholarly journals Inertia–gravity-wave radiation by a sheared vortex

2008 ◽  
Vol 596 ◽  
pp. 169-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. I. ÓLAFSDÓTTIR ◽  
A. B. OLDE DAALHUIS ◽  
J. VANNESTE
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Wave ◽  
Couette Flow ◽  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Dimensional Structure ◽  
Analytic Description ◽  
Wave Radiation ◽  
Rossby Number ◽  
Spontaneous Radiation ◽  
Initial State ◽  
Inertia Gravity Waves

We consider the linear evolution of a localized vortex with Gaussian potential vorticity that is superposed on a horizontal Couette flow in a rapidly rotating strongly stratified fluid. The Rossby number, defined as the ratio of the shear of the Couette flow to the Coriolis frequency, is assumed small. Our focus is on the inertia–gravity waves that are generated spontaneously during the evolution of the vortex. These are exponentially small in the Rossby number and hence are neglected in balanced models such as the quasi-geostrophic model and its higher-order generalizations. We develop an exponential-asymptotic approach, based on an expansion in sheared modes, to give an analytic description of the three-dimensional structure of the inertia–gravity waves emitted by the vortex. This provides an explicit example of the spontaneous radiation of inertia–gravity waves by localized balanced motion in the small-Rossby-number regime.The inertia–gravity waves are emitted as a burst of four wavepackets propagating downstream of the vortex. The approach employed reduces the computation of inertia–gravity-wave fields to a single quadrature, carried out numerically, for each spatial location and each time. This makes it possible to unambiguously define an initial state that is entirely free of inertia–gravity waves, and circumvents the difficulties generally associated with the separation between balanced motion and inertia–gravity waves.

scholarly journals Seasonal variations in gravity wave activity at three locations in Brazil

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 1059-1065 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. R. Clemesha ◽  
P. P. Batista ◽  
R. A. Buriti da Costa ◽  
N. Schuch
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Wave ◽  
Gravity Waves ◽  
Close Correlation ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Wave Activity ◽  
Vertical Shear ◽  
Equatorial Station ◽  
Wave Forcing ◽  
Santa Maria ◽  
Fluctuating Wind

Abstract. Using the variance in meteor radar winds as a measure of gravity wave activity, we investigate the temporal variations in gravity waves at three locations in Brazil: São João do Cariri (7.3° S, 36.4° W), Cachoeira Paulista (22.7° S, 45.0° W) and Santa Maria (29.7° S, 53.7° W). The technique used is that of Hocking (2005) which makes it possible to separate the zonal and meridional components of the fluctuating wind velocity. We find that the seasonal variation of the fluctuating wind is similar to that of the amplitude of the diurnal tide, showing a predominantly semi-annual variation, stronger at Cachoeira Paulista and Santa Maria than at the quasi-equatorial station, Cariri. Both with respect to the seasonal trend and shorter term variations, strong coupling between gravity wave activity and tides is indicated by a remarkably close correlation between the fluctuating velocity and the vertical shear in the tidal winds. It is not clear as to whether this is caused by gravity wave forcing of the tides or whether it results from in situ generation of gravity waves by tidal wind shear.

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