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Three‐dimensional lee‐wave pattern
Author(s) -
Gjevik B.,
Marthinsen T.
Publication year - 1978
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.49710444207
Subject(s) - geology , wake , transverse plane , perpendicular , wedge (geometry) , transverse wave , wind wave , wave shoaling , surface wave , wave motion , geodesy , geophysics , wave propagation , geometry , mechanical wave , physics , mechanics , optics , longitudinal wave , oceanography , engineering , mathematics , structural engineering
Satellite photographs are analysed to study the lee‐wave patterns generated by isolated islands in the Norwegian Sea and the Barents Sea. In situations where the wave motion is confined to the lower atmosphere (trapped waves) the waves are located within a wedge‐shaped wake behind the islands. Both the diverging wave type, where the crests are orientated outwards from the centre of the wake, and the transverse wave type, where the crests are nearly perpendicular to the wind direction, are observed. The former wave type is, however, the more common. In certain situations a long single‐crested wave is observed at Jan Mayen. The wave appears on photographs as a straight lane in the cloud layer. In one case it extends sideways from the island to a distance of about 350km. Wave kinematics is used to obtain the phase lines for a steady wave pattern for different atmospheric models. The theory is found to explain some important features of observed wave forms.