208 research outputs found
Quasi-two-day wave in an unstable summer atmosphere - some numerical results on excitation and propagation
Based on numerical calculations we demonstrate that small changes in the smooth climatological background atmosphere may lead to an unstable mean zonal wind distribution in the summer middle atmosphere. We relate these changes to small ones because locations and power of the main circulation structures are conserved, except for the acceleration of the easterly jet in the stratosphere/mesosphere. The instability forces oscillations propagating westward with a period of about 2 days and zonal wave numbers s=3 and/or 4. There are variations in the mean zonal wind distribution due to the excitation and transient propagation of these waves, and the numerical results correspond to features of these variations observed in experimental studies. The growing waves tend to remove the source of excitation. This process is effective enough to reduce the strong easterly jet and to remove the strong negative gradient of the zonal mean potential vorticity in the region of the instability. Therefore, when these parameters are calculated as mean values over a long time interval, the obtained values are too small to provide the instability. Strong 2-day waves, in turn, are unstable and can generate secondary waves with longer periods and lower zonal wave numbers. This effect is only significant for extremely strong 2-day waves. Another process is found to be more effective to produce secondary waves. We demonstrated that the 2-day wave with s=3 forced by nonlinear interaction between the 10-14 day planetary waves and the 2-day wave of zonal wave number 4 is unstable. This wave instability generates secondary waves with amplitudes that are large enough to be observed by ground-based radars, for example
Some numerical results on the quasi-two-day wave excitation andpropagation in the unstable summer middle atmosphere
Mit Hilfe numerischer Simulationen wird gezeigt, dass manche Änderungen des klimatologischen Hintergrundwindfeldes zu instabilem mittleren Zonalwind in der mittleren Atmosphäre Sommerhemisphäre führen. Diese Instabilität treibt Oszillationen mit einer Periode um 2 Tage an, welche eine zonale Wellenzahl von s = 3 oder 4 aufweisen. Beobachtete Variationen des mittleren Windes stehen in Verbindung mit diesen numerisch gefundenen Schwingungen. Starke 2-Tage-Wellen wiederum sind instabil und können daher Wellen längerer Periodendauer und kleinerer Wellanzahl anregen. Dieser Effekt ist jedoch nur für sehr starke 2-Tage-Wellen signifikant. Effektiver ist ein Prozess, bei dem nichtlineare Wechselwirkung zwischen einer 10-14-Tage-Welle und der 2-Tage-Welle der zonalen Wellenzahl 4 eine neue quasi-2-Tage-Welle mit einer Periodendauer von 55-60 Stunden anregt. Diese Welle generiert sekundäre Wellen effektiver als die ursprüngliche 2-Tage-Wellen; die sekundären Wellen können beobachtet werden.Basing on numerical calculations we have demonstrated that some changing of the climatological background atmosphere could lead to an unstable mean zonal wind distribution in the summer middle atmosphere. This instability forces oscillations propagating westward with a period of about 2 days and zonal wavenumbers s = 3 and/or 4. There are variations in the mean zonal wind distribution due to the excitation and transient propagation of these waves and numerical results correspond to features of these changes obtained in experimental studies. Strong 2-day waves in turn are unstable and can generate secondary waves with longer periods and lower zonal wavenumbers. This effect is significant only for very strong 2-day waves. It is shown that the 2-day wave with s=3 forced by non-linear interaction between 10-14 day planetary waves and the 2-day wave of zonal wave number 4 is unstable. This wave generates secondary waves of lower zonal wavenumbers more easily than the primary 2-day waves and these secondary waves may be observed
The sensitivity of the MUAM model to the variability of non-orographic gravity wave distributions
Numerical experiments with the Middle and Upper Atmosphere Model with modified parameterization settings were carried out to study the response of the mesosphere/lower thermosphere (MLT) wind circulation to the non-orographic gravity waves (GWs) originating from the lower atmosphere. The modification of the phase speed spectrum controls the height of the zonal wind reversal due to strengthening of the westerly winds. The simulation results obtained for various latitudinal distributions of the intensity of non-orographic GWs at the source level show that the zonal circulation is most sensitive to GWs variability at high latitudes. The latitudinal distribution of GW intensity, produced by the global distribution of convective processes and seasonal variations in GW sources, and modified phase speed spectrum made it possible to simulate the major zonal circulation structures observed by MLT wind radar.Numerische Experimente mit dem Middle and Upper Atmosphere Model mit modifizierten Parametriesierungseinstellungen wurden durchgeführt, um die Reaktion der Zirkulation der in der Mesosphäre / unteren Thermosphäre (MLT) auf nicht-orographische Schwerewellen (SW) zu untersuchen, die von der unteren Atmosphäre ausgehen. Die Modifikation des Phasengeschwindikeitsspektrums steuert die Höhe der zonalen Windumkehr aufgrund der Verstärkung der Westwinde. Die Simulationsergebnisse für verschiedene Breitenverteilungen der Intensität nicht-orographischer SW in Quellenhöhe zeigen, dass die zonale Zirkulation am stärksten auf SW-Variabilität in hohen Breiten reagiert. Die Breitenverteilung der SW-Intensität, die durch die globale Verteilung konvektiver Prozesse und saisonaler Variationen der SW-Quellen erzeugt wird, und das modifizierte Phasengeschwindkeitsspektrum ermöglichten es, die wichgsten zonalen Zirkulationsstrukturen zu simulieren, die von einem MLT-Windradar beobachtet wurden
Radar observations of geomagnetic disturbance effects on midlatitude mesosphere/lower thermosphere dynamics
Zeitreihen von Monatsmittelwerten des Windes in der Mesosphäre/unteren Thermosphäre über Collm werden auf mögliche Korrelationen mit der Nordatlantischen Oszillation (NAO) und der Südlichen Oszillation (SO) hin untersucht. Während eine positive Korrelation bis in die 1990er Jahre existiert, schwächt sich diese in der Folge ab und kehrt sich teilweise um. Da NAO und SO gekoppelt sind, erfolgen diese Änderungen etwa zur selben Zeit. Die Änderung der Kopplung steht wahrscheinlich in Verbindung mit einer generellen Änderung der Dynamik der mittleren Atmosphäre
Structural changes in lower ionosphere wind trends at midlatitudes
Long-term variability of the mesosphere/lower thermosphere (lower E region
ionosphere) since 1970 has been analyzed using wind data series obtained at
Collm (52° N, 15° E) using the LF drift method and at Obninsk (55° N, 37° E)
applying VHF meteor radar. Applying piecewise linear trend
analysis with a priori unknown number and positions of breakpoints shows
that trend models with breakpoints are generally to be preferred against
straight lines. There is a strong indication for a change of trends in wind
parameters around 1975–1980. Similar changes are also found in the lower
atmosphere, e.g., in tropospheric temperatures. This indicates a coupling
between atmospheric layers at time scales of decades
First results of meteor radar lower thermosphere wind measurements at Dixon, Arctic (73.5ă‚śN, 80ă‚śE)
Results of simultaneous wind measurements by the identical meteor radars at Dixon (73.5°N, 80°E) and Obninsk (55°N, 37°E) are presented for the time interval from November 12, 1999 to July 31, 2000. A number of features were observed which require comprehensive investigation on the basis of long-term wind measurements in the high-latitude lower thermosphere. The observed semidiurnal tide phases at Dixon are close to those published for Troms0, providing some evidence for predominance of the migrating semidiurnal tide for semidiurnal oscillations at this latitude. Highly coherent oscillations in tidal amplitudes and prevailing winds were also revealed, as well as time intervals with non-significant semidiurnal tide during which oscillations with periods different from but close to 12 h were observed
The summertime 12-h wind oscillation with zonal wavenumber <i>s</i> = 1 in the lower thermosphere over the South Pole
International audienceMeteor radar measurements of winds near 95 km in four azimuth directions from the geographic South Pole are analyzed to reveal characteristics of the 12-h oscillation with zonal wavenumber one (s=1). The wind measurements are confined to the periods from 19 January 1995 through 26 January 1996 and from 21 November 1996 through 27 January 1997. The 12-h s=1 oscillation is found to be a predominantly summertime phenomenon, and is replaced in winter by a spectrum of oscillations with periods between 6 and 11.5 h. Both summers are characterized by minimum amplitudes (5?10 ms?1) during early January and maxima (15?20 ms?1) in November and late January. For 10-day means of the 12-h oscillation, smooth evolutions of phase of order 4?6 h occur during the course of the summer. In addition, there is considerable day-to-day variability (±5?10 ms?1 in amplitude) with distinct periods (i.e., ~5 days and ~8 days) which suggests modulation by planetary-scale disturbances. A comparison of climatological data from Scott Base, Molodezhnaya, and Mawson stations suggests that the 12-h oscillation near 78°S is s=1, but that at 68°S there is probably a mixture between s=1 and other zonal wavenumber oscillations (most probably s=2). The mechanism responsible for the existence of the 12-h s=1 oscillation has not yet been identified. Possible origins discussed herein include in situ excitation, nonlinear interaction between the migrating semidiurnal tide and a stationary s=1 feature, and thermal excitation in the troposphere
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