Open AccessMiddle atmosphere Kelvin waves observed in Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere (CRISTA) 1 and 2 temperature and trace species
Author(s) -
Smith A. K.,
Preusse P.,
Oberheide J.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2001jd000577
Subject(s) - stratosphere , atmosphere (unit) , equator , kelvin wave , atmospheric sciences , trace gas , mesosphere , quasi biennial oscillation , physics , troposphere , infrared , environmental science , latitude , optics , meteorology , astronomy
A number of tropical perturbations that have all the characteristics of Kelvin waves are identified in temperature measurements from the two flights of the Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere (CRISTA) instrument. The background wind conditions during the two flights were quite different due to the different phases of the quasi‐biennial oscillation (QBO), and there were differences in the Kelvin waves observed. During each flight, there were several different zonal wave numbers and/or frequencies present simultaneously. The observed waves conform well to theory. In particular, lower‐frequency waves are confined to the lower stratosphere, while higher‐frequency waves appear in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere; the waves are centered on the equator; and the frequency and structure satisfy the dispersion relation. Wave signals also appear in several stratospheric trace species: O 3 , CFC‐11 (CFCl 3 ), HNO 3 , N 2 O, and CH 4 . The sense of the correlation of these trace species perturbations with temperature (negative for CFC‐11, N 2 O, and CH 4 ; positive for lower stratospheric HNO 3 and O 3 ) confirms that vertical velocity is responsible for the perturbations. There is a shift in the relative phases as photochemical processes become more important with increasing altitude. Upper stratospheric ozone correlates negatively with temperature due to temperature‐dependent reaction rates that destroy ozone.