Fast meridional transport in the lower thermosphere by planetary-scale waves

Details Fast meridional transport in the lower thermosphere by planetary-scale waves Fast meridional transport in the lower thermosphere by planetary-scale waves

Dec 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmsa33a1741y&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #SA33A-1741

Physics

[0341] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Middle Atmosphere: Constituent Transport And Chemistry, [3369] Atmospheric Processes / Thermospheric Dynamics, [3389] Atmospheric Processes / Tides And Planetary Waves

Scientific paper

Observations showed that water plume from space shuttles released at ~110 km altitude from Florida could be transported meridionally over thousands of kilometers northward or southward, reaching the Arctic after a day or so and in one case Antarctica after three days [Stevens et al., 2003; 2005]. In this work, we study the meridional transport associated with the quasi-two-day wave (QTDW) and migrating tides. Diagnostic calculations are performed to trace the particle trajectories using winds from the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIME-GCM) simulations for January, when the QTDW usually peaks. The calculations demonstrate that the mean meridional circulation or any single wave component with steady amplitude cannot sustain a strong meridional net transport for several days, but the cumulative effects of these planetary-scale waves can. In particular, when the QTDW and the tides are scaled according to the observed wave amplitudes, particles released at ~110 km and appropriate longitudes/local time can undergo transport fast enough to reach Antarctica within three days. The magnitude and direction of the transport depend on the amplitudes and phases of these waves. These simulations thus suggest that the observed large meridional transport of the shuttle plume can be driven by planetary waves and tides.

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