Open AccessProbing high‐altitude winds using infrasound
Author(s) -
Le Pichon A.,
Blanc E.,
Drob D.
Publication year - 2005
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 - 10.1029/2005jd006020
Subject(s) - thermosphere , stratosphere , infrasound , mesosphere , altitude (triangle) , atmospheric sciences , wind speed , inversion (geology) , atmosphere (unit) , geology , environmental science , meteorology , geophysics , ionosphere , physics , seismology , geometry , mathematics , acoustics , tectonics
Propagation modeling based on existing semiempirical atmospheric models roughly explains seasonal changes in infrasonic observables but underestimates their fluctuations. The discrepancies between observations and predictions are probably due to the lack of precision in available upper wind models. Here we propose a continuous infrasound monitoring of active volcanoes as a remote sensing method of the upper atmosphere. A refined inversion procedure has been developed for adjusting the vertical structure of the wind in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere. The results of the inversion show that the speed of the mesospheric wind jet in the original wind model is significantly underestimated and the strong wind region in the stratosphere should be extended to the lower thermosphere. In this regard, it is expected that a global infrasound tomography would greatly enhance our understanding of the dynamics of the upper atmosphere in a region where routine measurements still remain illusive.