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Large potential energy of gravity waves over a smooth surface with little convection: Simulation and observation
Author(s) -
Kawatani Yoshio,
Dhaka S. K.,
Takahashi Masaaki,
Tsuda Toshitaka
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2003gl016960
Subject(s) - equator , gravity wave , convection , geology , gravitational wave , climatology , geophysics , atmospheric sciences , altitude (triangle) , equatorial waves , meteorology , environmental science , latitude , geodesy , physics , geometry , mathematics , astrophysics
A numerical experiment is conducted using an Atmospheric General Circulation Model (AGCM) to investigate the presence of the large potential energy over a region of low topography and little convective activity, focusing on the tropical Atlantic region (10°E to 20°W, 0° to 20°S). It is found that gravity waves with a time period of 24 hours are excited near the Equator (∼5°–15°N) in a region of large moist heating extending vertically up to 10–13 km. The gravity waves propagate upward from this region with a bias toward the south and are manifested as large energy fluxes in the cross equatorial region. Enhanced energy fluxes are therefore simulated at 20–30 km altitude over a region with no significant source of gravity waves, and are confirmed using Global Positioning Satellite/Meteorology (GPS/MET) experiment data.