Gravity Wave Characteristics in the Troposphere, Lower Stratosphere, and Mesopause at the South Pole
Pfenninger, William Matthew
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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/81252
Description
Title
Gravity Wave Characteristics in the Troposphere, Lower Stratosphere, and Mesopause at the South Pole
Author(s)
Pfenninger, William Matthew
Issue Date
1998
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
George C. Papen
Department of Study
Electrical Engineering
Discipline
Electrical Engineering
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Remote Sensing
Language
eng
Abstract
A four-year (1993-1996) temperature and wind data set obtained from high-resolution balloon soundings at the South Pole is combined with three years (1995-1997) of mesospheric Na lidar measurements to examine the characteristics of gravity waves at the South Pole. Studies examine the troposphere, lower-stratosphere, and mesopause. It is found that wave strength in the lower atmosphere is always less energetic than at low- and midlatitude sites. In austral winter, wave amplitudes are about one-fourth their summertime values. Wave amplitudes in the mesopause are as large as those seen at other locations around the globe in austral autumn. In winter, mesospheric wave energy drops by nearly a factor of 10. Saturated wave dissipation mechanisms do not explain the observed wave growth with altitude.
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