Investigating gravity waves and mesospheric temperature variability over the Andes Mountains

Details Investigating gravity waves and mesospheric temperature variability over the Andes Mountains Investigating gravity waves and mesospheric temperature variability over the Andes Mountains

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufmsa23b..03t&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #SA23B-03

Physics

[0310] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Airglow And Aurora, [3332] Atmospheric Processes / Mesospheric Dynamics, [3334] Atmospheric Processes / Middle Atmosphere Dynamics, [3384] Atmospheric Processes / Acoustic-Gravity Waves

Scientific paper

The Andes region provides an excellent natural laboratory for investigating gravity wave influences on the Upper Mesospheric and Lower Thermospheric (MLT) dynamics with dominant gravity wave forcing expected from deep convection during the summer months replaced by strong orographic forcing during the wintertime, due to intense prevailing zonal winds blowing over the towering Andes mountain range. The instrument suite that comprised the very successful Maui-MALT program (2000-2005) was relocated to a new Andes Lidar Observatory (ALO) located high in the Andes mountains (2,520 m) at Cerro Pachon, Chile (30.3°S, 70.7°W). As part of this instrument set the Utah State University (USU) Mesospheric Temperature Mapper (MTM) has operated continuously over the past two years (August 2009-to date) measuring the nocturnal near infrared OH(6,2) band and the O2(0,1) Atmospheric band intensity and temperature perturbations to investigate a broad range of mesospheric wave forcings, their seasonal variability and effects on the MLT environment over the Andes. This presentation focuses on the strong variability observed from this site using collaborative investigations of selected wave events, including exceptionally large tidal perturbations (70-100 K), unusual "jumps" in OH/O2 temperature possibly associated with wave breaking, mesospheric bore events, and new evidence for quasi-stationary gravity waves, all illustrating the strong wave activity and its diversity over the Andes.

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