Journal Article

FZJ-2020-01152

http://join2-wiki.gsi.de/foswiki/pub/Main/Artwork/join2_logo100x88.png Secondary Gravity Waves Generated by Breaking Mountain Waves over Europe

Heale, C. J. (Corresponding author) ; Bossert, K. ; Vadas, S. L. ; Hoffmann, L.FZJ* ; Dörnbrack, A. ; Stober, G. ; Snively, J. B. ; Jacobi, C.

2020
Wiley Hoboken, NJ

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Please use a persistent id in citations: http://hdl.handle.net/2128/24500  doi:10.1029/2019JD031662

Abstract: A strong mountain wave, observed over Central Europe on the 12th Jan 2016, is simulated in 2D under 2 fixed background wind conditions representing opposite tidal phases. The aim of the simulation is to investigate the breaking of the mountain wave and subsequent generation of non‐primary waves in the upper atmosphere. The model results show that the mountain wave first breaks as it approaches a mesospheric critical level creating turbulence on horizontal scales of 8‐30km. These turbulence scales couple directly to horizontal secondary waves scales, but those scales are prevented from reaching the thermosphere by the tidal winds which act like a filter. Initial secondary waves which can reach the thermosphere range from 60‐120km in horizontal scale and are influenced by the scales of the horizontal and vertical forcing associated with wave breaking at mountain wave zonal phase width, and horizontal wavelength scales. Large scale non‐primary waves dominate over the whole duration of the simulation with horizontal scales of 107‐300km and periods of 11‐22 minutes. The thermosphere winds heavily influence the time‐averaged spatial distribution of wave forcing in the thermosphere, which peaks at 150km altitude and occurs both westward and eastward of the source in the 2 UT background simulation and primarily eastward of the source in the 7 UT background simulation. The forcing amplitude is ~2x that of the primary mountain wave breaking and dissipation. This suggests that non‐primary waves play a significant role in gravity waves dynamics and improved understanding of the thermospheric winds is crucial to understanding their forcing distribution.

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Contributing Institute(s):

1. Jülich Supercomputing Center (JSC)

Research Program(s):

1. 511 - Computational Science and Mathematical Methods (POF3-511) (POF3-511)

Appears in the scientific report 2020

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Database coverage:
; ; Clarivate Analytics Master Journal List ; Current Contents - Physical, Chemical and Earth Sciences ; IF < 5 ; JCR ; NCBI Molecular Biology Database ; SCOPUS ; Science Citation Index ; Science Citation Index Expanded ; Web of Science Core Collection

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