Premium
An observation of gravity waves in shear flow in the lower stratosphere
Author(s) -
Axford D. N.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.49709640810
Subject(s) - stratosphere , gravity wave , turbulence , wind shear , wavelength , atmospheric sciences , geology , shear (geology) , gravitational wave , clear air turbulence , geophysics , meteorology , mechanics , physics , wind speed , optics , astrophysics , petrology
During a routine instrumentation flight check in the lower stratosphere periodic variations of temperature and winds were observed. It is deduced that these variations are gravity waves which appear to be associated with a narrow frontal zone separating regions with different potential temperatures. Vertical and horizontal wind changes of ± 1 m s −1 and potential temperature variations of up to ± 2°C are measured with a wavelength of 2.3 km. The breakdown of waves such as these may be associated with observations of clear air turbulence in the stratosphere along shear layers separating weak flows of different origin.