Investigating mesospheric mountain wave characteristics over New Zealand during DEEPWAVE
Abstract
The Deep Propagating Gravity Wave Experiment, "DEEPWAVE" was an international measurement and modelling program designed to characterize and predict the generation and propagation of a broad range of atmospheric gravity waves (GWs) with measurements extending from the ground to 100 km altitude. An analysis of 2 months of GW image data obtained during 2014 in New Zealand by a ground-based Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper (AMTM) identified 19 events with clear signatures of orographic forcing. This is by far the largest occurrence of MW activity ever recorded at MLT heights. The observed events were quasi-stationary, exhibited a variety of horizontal wavelengths and lasted for > 1 hour. One prior study has reported such waves in the mesosphere over the Andes Mountain Range. We utilize data obtained by a collection of ground-based instrumentation operated at NIWA Lauder Station, NZ [45.0°S] to perform a detailed investigation of the generation and propagation of mountain waves into the upper mesosphere and to quantify their impact on this region using their measured momentum fluxes (MF). Instruments included an AMTM, a Rayleigh Lidar and an all-sky imager. The results focus on the derived MFs, comparing and contrasting their magnitudes and variability under different forcing conditions.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017AGUFMSA33A2588M
- Keywords:
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- 3334 Middle atmosphere dynamics;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES;
- 3369 Thermospheric dynamics;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES;
- 3384 Acoustic-gravity waves;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES;
- 2427 Ionosphere/atmosphere interactions;
- IONOSPHERE