Open AccessApplications of Ray‐Tracing to Observations of Mountain‐Associated Infrasonic Waves
Author(s) -
Rockway J. W.,
Hower G. L.,
Craine L. B.,
Thomas J. E.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
geophysical journal of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.302
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1365-246X
pISSN - 0016-8009
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-246x.1974.tb03637.x
Subject(s) - ray tracing (physics) , geology , infrasound , amplitude , seismology , geophysics , tracing , geodesy , meteorology , acoustics , physics , optics , computer science , operating system
Summary Previous studies have identified a class of infrasonic waves characterized by periods ranging from 10 to 100 seconds, horizontal trace velocities across the detecting array at acoustic velocities or greater, and zero to peak amplitudes from 0.5 to 7 dyne cm −2 . These signals triangulate principally in mountainous regions and have thus been termed mountain‐associated waves. In this paper, the effects of propagation conditions on the observed characteristics are examined using a ray‐tracing technique implemented on a hybrid computer. It is shown that the observed seasonal variation in occurrence of these waves follows from the conditions along the propagation path–primarily winds–and therefore may not be indicative of variations in the actual generating mechanism.