All Physics Faculty Publications

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Journal of Geophysical Research

Volume

109

Issue

D23109

Publisher

American Geophysical Union

Publication Date

12-2004

First Page

1

Last Page

9

Abstract

Airglow imager and dynasonde/imaging Doppler interferometer (IDI) radar wind measurements at Halley Station, Antarctica (75.6S, 26.6W) have been used to estimate the seasonal variation of the vertical fluxes of horizontal momentum carried by highfrequency atmospheric gravity waves. The cross-correlation coefficients between the vertical and horizontal wind perturbations were calculated from sodium (Na) airglow imager data collected during the austral winter seasons of 2000 and 2001. These were combined with wind velocity variances from coincident radar measurements to estimate the daily averaged upper limit of the vertical flux of horizontal momentum due to gravity waves. The resulting momentum flux at the Na airglow altitudes, while displaying a large day-to-day variability, showed a marked rotation from the northwest to the southeast throughout the winter season. Calculations show that this rotation is consistent with seasonal changes in the wind field filtering of gravity waves below the Na airglow region. The calculations also indicate that while the magnitude of the meridional wind is small, this filtering leads to the observed seasonal changes in the meridional momentum flux.

Comments

Published by the American Geophysical Union in Journal of Geophysical Research.

http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2004/2003JD004446.shtml

Publisher PDF is available for download through the link above.

Included in

Physics Commons

Share

COinS