MSX satellite observations of thunderstorm‐generated gravity waves in mid‐wave infrared images of the upper stratosphere

Dewan, E. M.; Picard, R. H.; O'Neil, R. R.; Gardiner, Harold A. B.; Gibson, James J.; Mill, John D.; Richards, E.; Kendra, M. J.; Gallery, W. O.

doi:10.1029/98gl00640

Cited by 165 publications

(162 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Note that concentric rings from convective storms, like those in Fig. 6, have been occasionally observed in the OH airglow layer from deep convection (Taylor and Hapgood, 1988;Dewan et al, 1998;Sentman et al, 2003;Suzuki et al, 2007;Yue et al, 2009). …”

Section: Gravity Wave Excitation From Convective Plumesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstruction of the gravity wave field from convective plumes via ray tracing

2009

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Abstract. We implement gravity wave (GW) phases into our convective plume and anelastic ray trace models. This allows us to successfully reconstruct the GW velocity, temperature, and density perturbation amplitudes and phases in the Mesosphere-Lower-Thermosphere (MLT) via ray tracing (in real space) those GWs that are excited from a deep convective plume. We find that the ray trace solutions agree very well with the exact, isothermal, zero-wind, Fourier-Laplace solutions in the Boussinesq limit. This comparison also allows us to determine the normalization factor which converts the GW spectral amplitudes to real-space amplitudes in the ray trace model. This normalization factor can then be used for ray tracing GWs through varying temperature and wind profiles. We show that by adding GW reflection off the Earth's surface, the resulting GW spectrum has more power at larger vertical and horizontal wavelengths. We determine the form of the momentum flux and velocity spectra which allows for easy calculation of GW amplitudes in the MLT and thermosphere. Finally, we find that the reconstructed (ray traced) solution for a deep, convective plume with a duration much shorter than the buoyancy period does not equal the Fourier-Laplace Boussinesq solution; this is likely due to errors in the Boussinesq dispersion relation for very high frequency GWs.

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Section: Gravity Wave Excitation From Convective Plumesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstruction of the gravity wave field from convective plumes via ray tracing

2009

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“…Ionospheric studies have found evidence of D-layer heating due to thunderstorm quasi-electrostatic fields [Inan et al, 1996;Pasko et al, 1995], evidence of direct heating of the D-layer due to lightning electromagnetic pulses [Cheng and Cummer, 2005;Cheng et al, 2007], and evidence of atmospheric gravity wave (AGW) influence on the E-region ionosphere (100-150 km) [Davis and Johnson, 2005;Johnson and Davis, 2006]. Stratospheric AGW studies have shown neutral density fluctuations at altitudes of 60-90 km due to tropospheric thunderstorms activities [Taylor and Hapgood, 1988;Dewan et al, 1998;Sentman et al, 2003;Yue et al, 2009], and the electron density at this altitude is expected to fluctuate in a similar manner. However, because of low electron densities in the D-layer, it is difficult to continuously measure the electron density and its possible spatial and temporal fluctuations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High temporal and spatial-resolution detection of D-layer fluctuations by using time-domain lightning waveforms

Lay

Shao

2011

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] This paper presents a new method for probing ionospheric D-layer fluctuations with time-domain very-low and low-frequency (VLF/LF) lightning waveforms detected several hundred kilometers away from lightning storms. The technique compares the amplitude and the time delay between the direct ground wave and the first-hop ionospheric reflection of the lightning signal to measure the apparent D-layer reflectivity and height. This time-domain technique allows a higher time and spatial resolution measurement of the D-layer fluctuations compared to previously reported frequency-domain techniques. For a region near a nighttime thunderstorm, results demonstrate that the apparent reflectivity and height exhibit significant variation on spatial scales of tens of kilometers and over time periods of hours. The range of the reflectivity variation was observed as large as 100% away from the averaged reflectivity for some localized regions, and the height varies by as much as 5% (4 km). The time scales and propagation velocities of the fluctuations appear to be consistent with signatures of atmospheric gravity waves at D-layer altitudes, and the direction of the fluctuation propagation suggests that the gravity waves are originated from the storm. Superimposed on the fluctuations, a general decreasing trend (by ∼4-8 km) in reflection height over the nighttime is observed. In some localized ionosphere regions, apparent splitting of the D-layer by 2-4 km is observed to last a short time period of about 10 min.

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“…Swenson and Mende, 1994;Taylor et al, 1995;Smith et al, 2000;Ejiri et al, 2003;Medeiros et al, 2003;Nielsen et al, 2006). Most of the time the waves appear near linear; however on occasions well-defined concentric rings of GWs are detected over or near severe thunderstorms (Taylor and Hapgood, 1988;Dewan et al, 1998;Sentman et al, 2003;Suzuki et al, 2007;Yue et al, 2008). Although Taylor and Hapgood (1988) inferred that a thunderstorm created the partial concentric rings which they observed, Sentman et al (2003) showed that the concentric rings they observed originated from a severe thunderstorm.…”

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confidence: 99%

Convection: the likely source of the medium-scale gravity waves observed in the OH airglow layer near Brasilia, Brazil, during the SpreadFEx campaign

et al. 2009

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Abstract. Six medium-scale gravity waves (GWs) with horizontal wavelengths of λ H =60-160 km were detected on four nights by Taylor et al. (2009) in the OH airglow layer near Brasilia, at 15 • S, 47 • W, during the Spread F Experiment (SpreadFEx) in Brazil in 2005. We reverse and forward ray trace these GWs to the tropopause and into the thermosphere using a ray trace model which includes thermospheric dissipation. We identify the convective plumes, convective clusters, and convective regions which may have generated these GWs. We find that deep convection is the highly likely source of four of these GWs. We pinpoint the specific deep convective plumes which likely excited two of these GWs on the nights of 30 September and 1 October. On these nights, the source location/time uncertainties were small and deep convection was sporadic near the modeled source locations. We locate the regions containing deep convective plumes and clusters which likely excited the other two GWs. The last 2 GWs were probably also excited from deep convection; however, they must have been ducted ∼500-700 km if so. Two of the GWs were likely downwards-propagating initially (after which they reflected upwards from the Earth's surface), while one of the GWs was likely upwards-propagating initially from the convective plume/cluster. We also estimate the amplitudes and vertical scales of these waves at the tropopause, and compare their scales with those from a simple, linear convection model. Finally, we calculate each GW's dissipation altitude, location, and amplitude. We find that the dissiCorrespondence to: S. L. Vadas (vasha@cora.nwra.com) pation altitude depends sensitively on the winds at and above the OH layer. We also find that several of these GWs may have penetrated to high enough altitudes to potentially seed equatorial spread F (ESF) if located somewhat farther from the magnetic equator.

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MSX satellite observations of thunderstorm‐generated gravity waves in mid‐wave infrared images of the upper stratosphere

Cited by 165 publications

References 4 publications

Reconstruction of the gravity wave field from convective plumes via ray tracing

Reconstruction of the gravity wave field from convective plumes via ray tracing

High temporal and spatial-resolution detection of D-layer fluctuations by using time-domain lightning waveforms

Convection: the likely source of the medium-scale gravity waves observed in the OH airglow layer near Brasilia, Brazil, during the SpreadFEx campaign

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