TY  - JOUR
AU  - Heale, C. J.
AU  - Snively, J. B.
AU  - Bhatt, A. N.
AU  - Hoffmann, L.
AU  - Stephan, C. C.
AU  - Kendall, E. A.
TI  - Multilayer Observations and Modeling of Thunderstorm-Generated Gravity Waves Over the Midwestern United States
JO  - Geophysical research letters
VL  - 46
IS  - 23
SN  - 1944-8007
CY  - Hoboken, NJ
PB  - Wiley
M1  - FZJ-2019-06206
SP  - 14164-14174
PY  - 2019
AB  - We present multilayer observations and numerical simulations of gravity waves (GWs) generated by a series of Mesoscale Convective Systems over the midwestern United States. Strong semi‐concentric GWs were observed and modeled, which couple from their tropospheric sources to the thermosphere, displaying strong nonlinearity indicated by instability, breaking, and formation of turbulent vortices. GWs in the stratosphere display a large range of horizontal scales from 34‐400 km, however, the smaller wavelength waves break rapidly in the mesosphere and lower‐thermosphere (MLT). Larger scale (≥150 km) waves dominate in the thermosphere and display northwestward propagation at 200‐300 km altitude, opposing the mean winds. Despite strong molecular viscosity and thermal conductivity in the thermosphere, steepened wave fronts, which may indicate nonlinearity, is identified in 630 nm airglow imagers. The agreement between model and data suggest new opportunities for data‐constrained simulations that span multi‐layer observables, including MLT‐region airglow not captured for this event.
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000500756200001
DO  - DOI:10.1029/2019GL085934
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/867585
ER  -