Evidence of mesospheric bore formation from a breaking gravity wave event: simultaneous imaging and lidar measurements

A large wave event was observed in the three upper-mesospheric (80–105 km) airglow emissions of O(¹S), Na and OH by the Boston University all-sky imager, at the Arecibo Observatory, during the night of 3 May 2003. The airglow structures appeared to be due to a large upward propagating internal gravity wave, which subsequently became unstable near the 95 km height level and produced large-scale vertical motions and mixing. Simultaneous density and temperature lidar measurements indicated the presence of a large temperature inversion of 80 K valley-to-peak between 88 and 96 km during the time of the event. Near-simultaneous temperature profiles, made by the TIMED SABER instrument, provided evidence that the horizontal extent of the inversion was localized to within 500 km of Arecibo during the wave event. As the gravity wave dissipated, an internal bore was generated, apparently due to the deposition of momentum and energy into the region by the original wave. Although mesospheric gravity wave breaking has been reported previously (Swenson and Mende, 21(1994); Hecht et al., 102(1997); Yamada et al., 28(2001), for example), this was the first time that the phenomenon has been associated with the generation of an internal mesospheric bore. The event suggested that the breaking of a large mesospheric gravity wave can lead to the generation of an internal bore, as suggested by Dewan and Picard 106(2001). Such behavior is of particular interest since little is known of their origins.     

Variability of gravity wave occurrence frequency and propagation direction in the upper mesosphere observed by the OH imager in Northern Colorado

Based on 5 years of OH imager data between September 2003 and September 2008 over Yucca Ridge Field Station, CO (40.7ºN, 104.9ºW), we presented the variation of gravity wave (GW) occurrence frequency and propagation direction in the upper mesosphere. In summer the GW occurrence frequency was extremely high at above 95% compared to other seasons (around 85%). The GW propagation direction showed a strong northward (poleward) preference in summer and a southward (equatorward) preference in winter. This could be possibly due to ducting of waves in the mesopause thermal structure and wave generation by the strong deep convection located at south side in summer and possible storms located at north side in winter. Westward traveling waves were rare, but eastward were frequent. In addition to seasonal variability, significant interannual variability was also observed.     

基于中国东港台站的OH气辉成像观测数据对重力波波源的事件分析

利用东港（40°N,124°E）台站于2013年9月15—16日的OH气辉成像观测数据报告了两个重力波事件（1和2）.同时,结合北京十三陵（40.3°N,116.2°E）台站的多普勒流星雷达风场数据和位于39.4°N,130.6°E位置处的SABER/TIMED卫星的温度参数分析发现,观测的两个重力波事件于2013年9月15—16日02:00—03:00 LT时间段,和70~110 km高度是自由传播的.利用反射线追踪方法分析表明,重力波事件1和事件2分别产生于（39.3°N,117.2°E）和（47.1°N,121.3°E）.且事件1的波源位置与对流活动和大气向上向下运动过程中产生的不稳定性吻合较好.然而,通过ECMWF再分析资料和MTSAT卫星观测数据分析表明,事件2可能由对流活动或大气向上运动过程中可能产生的不稳定性导致.利用MERRA自地面到约70 km高度的风场数据分析表明,观测的重力波事件1和事件2的水平相速度分别是83.5 m·s^-1（事件1）和80.1 m·s^-1（事件2）,均大于低层-中层大气风速-10~45 m·s^-1.因此,观测的两个重力波事件是可能从低层大气传播到中层-低热层大气的.

     

利用瑞利激光雷达和无线电探空仪观测数据对武汉上空重力波特性的研究

本文利用武汉大学的瑞利激光雷达的瑞利散射回波数据(30～65km)来研究武汉地区上空(30.5°N,114.4°E)重力波的活动规律和统计特性.通过对2003年12月到2005年3月观测的200h数据反演的密度进行处理分析,得到了重力波的一些个例特征,并提取垂直波长为2 km以上的重力波进行统计分析.结果表明,最可几的垂直波长是3～4 km和17～20 km,重力波振幅的月平均值在冬季有较大值,夏季值较小.与武汉2004年无线电探空仪的密度扰动提取到的重力波做比较,发现与瑞利激光雷达得到的重力波振幅的月平均值有很强的相关性,也是冬季值比较大,夏季值比较小.通过无线电探空仪的风场数据,本文还得到了急流的季节变化规律、最大风剪切年变化规律,发现急流和最大风剪切与激光雷达的重力波统计结果有很强的相关性.     

Occurrence and characteristics of sporadic sodium layer observed by lidar at a mid-latitude location

Na lidar observations of SSL during the past 5 years at a mid-latitude location (Wuhan, China, 31°N, 114°E) are reported in this paper. From 26 SSL events detected in about 230 h of observation, an SSL occurrence rate of 1 event/9 h at our location was obtained. This result, combined with that reported by Nagasawa and Abo (Geophys. Res. Lett. 22 (1995) 263) at Tokyo, Japan, reveals that the SSL occurrence can be relatively frequent at some mid-latitude locations. The statistical analyses of main parameters for the 26 SSL events were made, and the results were compared with those previously reported. By examining the corresponding data from a nearby ionosonde, it was found that there was a fairly good correlation between SSL and Es. Of the 18 pairs of SSL and Es events checked, 15 of SSL were accompanied by Es, and 8 pairs of them were correlated within 1 h in time and within 5 km in altitude. From the analyses of observed perturbations during SSL development, the role of dynamic processes of atmosphere in the SSL formations were emphasized.     

Application of wavelet transformation to determine wavelengths and phase velocities of gravity waves observed by lidar measurements

During the last two decades, important advances have been made in the investigation of gravity waves. However, more efforts are needed to study certain aspects of gravity waves. In the real atmosphere, gravity waves occur with different properties at different altitudes and, most often, simultaneously. In this case, when there is more than one dominant wave, the determination of gravity wave characteristics, such as the vertical wavelength and the phase velocity, is difficult. The interpretation of temperature perturbation plots versus the altitude and time as well as the application of the Fourier spectral analysis can produce errors.Exact knowledge of the wave characteristics is important both for determination of other characteristics, for example, the horizontal wave components, and for study of wave climatology. The wavelet analysis of vertical temperature profiles allows one to examine the wave's location in space. Up to now, gravity waves have been studied mainly by continuous wavelet transformation to determine dominant waves. We apply wavelet analysis to a time series of temperature profiles, observed by the ALOMAR ozone lidar at Andoya, Norway, and by the U. Bonn lidar system at ESRANGE, Sweden, both for determination of the dominant waves and for specifying the vertical wavelengths and the vertical component of the phase velocities. For this purpose, the wavelet amplitude spectra and the wavelet phase spectra are filtered and Hovmöller diagrams for dominant wavelengths are constructed. The advantage of this type of diagrams is that they give clear evidence for the localization of the dominant waves in space and time and for the development of their phase fronts.     

Inertia gravity wave activity in the troposphere and lower stratosphere observed by Wuhan MST radar

The troposphere and lower stratosphere (TLS) is a region with active atmospheric fluctuations. The Wuhan Mesosphere-Stratosphere-Troposphere (MST) radar is the first MST radar to have become operational in Mainland China. It is dedicated to real-time atmospheric observations. In this paper, two case studies about inertia gravity waves (IGWs) derived from three-dimensional wind field data collected with the Wuhan MST radar are presented. The intrinsic frequencies, vertical wavelengths, horizontal wavelengths, vertical wavenumber spectra, and energy density are calculated and analyzed. In this paper, we also report on multiple waves existing in the lower stratosphere observed by the Wuhan MST radar. Lomb-Scargle spectral analysis and the hodograph method were used to derive the vertical wavenumber and propagation direction. Meanwhile, an identical IGW is observed by Wuhan MST radar both in troposphere and lower stratosphere regions. Combining the observations, the source of the latter IGW detected in the TLS would be the jet streams located in the tropopause region, which also produced wind shear above and below the tropopause.     

Internal gravity wave selection in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere observed by the MU radar: Preliminary results

Marked wavelike variations of the lower stratospheric wind observed on 7–10 May, 1985 by an MST radar in Japan (by the MU radar) are analyzed assuming that they are induced by monochromatic internal inertio-gravity waves. These variations are mainly composed of two modes (periods: 22 and 24 hours), both of which have zonal phase velocities (C _X ) slower than the mean westerly wind (). A statistical analysis of the zonal phase velocity shows thatC _X above andC _X below the tropopause jet stream, which is considered to be a vivid proof of wave selection due to the tropospheric mean flow and upward wave emission from the tropopause jet. A comparison between the MU radar results and routine meteorological observations leads to the conclusion that the marked waves appear when the jet stream takes a maximum wind speed.