Publication Date:
2013-11-01
Description:
[1] We present the first reported gravity wave patterns in the mesopause region caused by a typhoon in the troposphere. On 10 December 2002, concentric rings of gravity waves in OH airglow were observed simultaneously by all-sky imagers in the Optical Mesosphere and Thermosphere Imager system in Japan, located at Rikubetsu (43.5 ∘ N, 143.8 ∘ E), Shigaraki (34.9 ∘ N, 136.1 ∘ E), and Sata (31.0 ∘ N, 130.7 ∘ E). The airglow structures, which were well-defined and formed a coherent wave pattern expanding concentrically, were identified over 8 hours (2135–2947 LT). We estimate the horizontal wavelength, horizontal phase speed, and wave period as 34.5 km, 50.2 m s -1 , and 11.5 min, respectively. Infrared cloud images from the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite show that the center of the rings estimated from the airglow data corresponds to a spiral band of Typhoon Pongsona (T0226). This unique event provides new insight into coupling betweenthe lower and upper atmosphere.
Print ISSN:
0094-8276
Electronic ISSN:
1944-8007
Topics:
Geosciences
,
Physics
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