Large potential energy of gravity waves over a smooth surface with little convection: Simulation and observation

Kawatani, Yoshio; Dhaka, S. K.; Takahashi, Masaaki; Tsuda, Toshitaka

doi:10.1029/2003gl016960

Cited by 24 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…In particular, their study indicates that the gravity wave energy in the stratosphere is largely enhanced over the region of active convection in the tropics, such as Indonesia, South America, and Africa, indicating that convection is the major source of gravity waves at low latitudes. This interpretation has also been supported by model studies Kawatani et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Wind-profiler observations of gravity waves produced by convection at mid-latitudes

et al. 2006

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Abstract. This work presents a case study which includes regions of large rapidly varying vertical velocities observed by a VHF wind-profiler at Aberystwyth (52.4 • N, 4.1 • W). Analysis indicates that this region is associated with gravity waves above the tropopause level and simultaneous regions of convective activity below the tropopause level. This case study also suggests that convective activity can be identified effectively by finding periods of large uncertainties on the derived velocities. These regions are hypothesized to be related to regions of small-scale inhomogeneity in the wind field.Examination suggests that the large vertical velocity fluctuations above these convective regions are short period gravity wave packets as expected from theory. In addition the vertical flux of the horizontal momentum associated with the gravity waves also displays the pattern of reversal observed in previous studies.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 70%

Wind-profiler observations of gravity waves produced by convection at mid-latitudes

et al. 2006

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“…Indeed, GWR-GCMs satisfying one or two of these conditions have been widely used and have made significant contributions to gravity-wave statistics and generation and propagation issues (Miyahara et al, 1986;O'Sullivan and Dunkerton, 1995;Sato et al, 1999;Sato, 2000;Kawatani et al, 2003Kawatani et al, , 2004Kawatani et al, , 2005Sato and Yoshiki, 2008;Kawatani et al, 2009). To date, the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) SKYHI GCM Koshyk et al, 1999) and the JAGUAR GCM (Watanabe et al 2008;Watanabe and Miyahara, 2009) have a model top near 0.01 hPa or higher, and likely satisfy all four requirements.…”

Section: Description Of Gravity-wave-resolving Gcmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent developments in gravity‐wave effects in climate models and the global distribution of gravity‐wave momentum flux from observations and models

Alexander

Geller

McLandress

et al. 2010

Quart J Royal Meteoro Soc

473

483

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Recent observational and theoretical studies of the global properties of small-scale atmospheric gravity waves have highlighted the global effects of these waves on the circulation from the surface to the middle atmosphere. The effects of gravity waves on the large-scale circulation have long been treated via parametrizations in both climate and weather-forecasting applications. In these parametrizations, key parameters describe the global distributions of gravity-wave momentum flux, wavelengths and frequencies. Until recently, global observations could not define the required parameters because the waves are small in scale and intermittent in occurrence. Recent satellite and other global datasets with improved resolution, along with innovative analysis methods, are now providing constraints for the parametrizations that can improve the treatment of these waves in climate-prediction models. Research using very-highresolution global models has also recently demonstrated the capability to resolve gravity waves and their circulation effects, and when tested against observations these models show some very realistic properties. Here we review recent studies on gravitywave effects in stratosphere-resolving climate models, recent observations and analysis methods that reveal global patterns in gravity-wave momentum fluxes and results of very-high-resolution model studies, and we outline some future research requirements to improve the treatment of these waves in climate simulations.

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“…They propagate several degrees in latitude and across the equator. This has been shown in a modeling study explaining increased wave activity over a tropical region with low convective activity (Kawatani et al 2003) as well as in radiosonde observations (Sato et al 2003).…”

Section: Comparison Of Tropical E P With Cumulus Convectionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Analysis on the global morphology of stratospheric gravity wave activity deduced from the COSMIC GPS occultation profiles

Xiao

2009

GPS Solut

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Monthly mean global morphologies of potential energy density E p from stratospheric gravity waves are revealed by observations of COSMIC GPS radio occultation. The E p is obtained from vertical wavelengths ranging from 2 to 10 km over cells of 1°9 2°in latitude and longitude. The computed values confirm previous results and obtain new ones. The large gravity wave E p values found in the tropics between 25°N and 25°S could be mainly due to the strong tropical cumulus convection; July values are larger than those for January (2007). In mid and high latitudes, the most prominent features of the northern winter hemisphere are the enhanced densities above the Eurasian continent and the North Atlantic and the depressed E p values above the North Pacific and North America for which topography, wind sources and wind filtering may be responsible. In southern winter hemisphere, large E p values are found around 180°and 300°longitudes that are likely due to the topography of the Antarctic plateau, the Antarctic Peninsula and South America. Enhanced E p values are found over Scandinavia. However, there is no clear evidence to show that gravity waves are localized over the Rocky Mountains, the Himalayas and the Andes. Topography and planetary wave modulations are proposed to interpret the large-scale longitudinal variations and interhemisphere asymmetry of the GW activity.

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Large potential energy of gravity waves over a smooth surface with little convection: Simulation and observation

Cited by 24 publications

References 16 publications

Wind-profiler observations of gravity waves produced by convection at mid-latitudes

Wind-profiler observations of gravity waves produced by convection at mid-latitudes

Recent developments in gravity‐wave effects in climate models and the global distribution of gravity‐wave momentum flux from observations and models

Analysis on the global morphology of stratospheric gravity wave activity deduced from the COSMIC GPS occultation profiles

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