Other
Scientific paper
May 2002
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002agusmsa32a..07g&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2002, abstract #SA32A-07
Other
3334 Middle Atmosphere Dynamics (0341, 0342), 3349 Polar Meteorology, 3364 Synoptic-Scale Meteorology, 3384 Waves And Tides, 0305 Aerosols And Particles (0345, 4801)
Scientific paper
Although the role of gravity waves in the global atmospheric circulation is generally understood, discussion of synoptic gravity wave activity, especially pertaining to high latitude summer environments, is lacking in the literature. Tropospherically generated gravity waves greatly contribute to the zonal drag necessary to induce meridional outflow and subsequent upwelling observed in the adiabatically cooled summer mesosphere, ultimately resulting in an environment conducive to mesospheric cloud formation. However, the very gravity wave activity responsible for this induced cooling is also believed to be a major source of variability on mesospheric clouds, and this topic should be of considerable interest if such clouds are to be used as tracers of the global climate. It is therefore the purpose of this paper to explore high latitude synoptic gravity wave activity and ultimately seek an understanding of the associated influence on overlaying summer mesospheric clouds. Another goal is to better understand and account for potential variability in high latitude middle and upper atmospheric measurements that can be directly associated with weather conditions at lower altitudes. These endeavors are addressed through Rayleigh/aerosol lidar data obtained from the ARtiC LIdar TEchnology facility located at Sondrestrom, Greenland, global tropospheric and stratospheric analyses, and the Gravity-wave Regional Or Global RAy Tracer model. In this study we are able to show that a) the variability of the mesospheric cloud fields and the upper stratospheric gravity wave activity are correlated, b) such gravity wave variability is related to mesospheric cloud variability on timescales of 1.5 to 3 hours, c) through the use of gravity wave hindcasts, this gravity wave activity can be understood as tropospheric in origin and regional sources can be identified, and d) forecasting of such gravity wave activity, and therefore the mesospheric cloud activity, is feasible. In conclusion, the results herein provide additional evidence of gravity wave influence on mesospheric clouds, a step towards the forecasting of regional gravity wave activity, and ultimately a better understanding of synoptic gravity wave activity at high latitudes.
Eckermann Stephen D.
Gerrard Andrew J.
Kane Timothy J.
Thayer Jeffrey P.
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