Effects of a Major Tsunami on the Energetics and Dynamics of the Thermosphere

Details Effects of a Major Tsunami on the Energetics and Dynamics of the Thermosphere Effects of a Major Tsunami on the Energetics and Dynamics of the Thermosphere

Dec 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufmsa11a1452h&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #SA11A-1452

Physics

[0358] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Thermosphere: Energy Deposition, [3369] Atmospheric Processes / Thermospheric Dynamics, [3384] Atmospheric Processes / Acoustic-Gravity Waves, [4564] Oceanography: Physical / Tsunamis And Storm Surges

Scientific paper

Using a spectral full-wave model we investigate how the energetics and dynamics of the thermosphere are influenced by the dissipation of a tsunami-driven gravity wave disturbance. Gravity waves are generated in the model by a surface displacement that mimics a tsunami having a characteristic horizontal wavelength of 400 km and a horizontal phase speed of 200 m/s. The gravity wave disturbance is fast with a large vertical wavelength and is able to reach F-region altitudes before significant viscous dissipation occurs. The gravity wave transports significant amounts of energy and momentum to this region of the atmosphere. The energy reaching the lower thermosphere could be ~ 1012 J for large tsunami events. The change in velocity associated with the wave momentum deposition in a region ~ 100 km deep centered on 250 km altitude could be 150 - 200 m/s. Thermal effects associated with the divergence of the sensible heat flux are modest (~ 20 K over the same region). The affected region could have a lateral extent of 1000 km or more, and an along-track extent of as much as 8000 km. The induced winds should be observable through a variety of methods but the thermal effects might be difficult to observe.

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