Atmospheric gravity waves generated by an eclipse were first proposed in 1970. Despite numerous efforts since, there has been no definitive evidence for eclipse generated gravity waves in the lower to middle atmosphere. Measuring wave characteristics produced by a definite forcing event such as an eclipse provides crucial knowledge for developing more accurate physical descriptions of gravity waves. These waves are fundamental to the transport of energy and momentum throughout the atmosphere and their parameterization or simulation in numerical models provides increased accuracy to forecasts. Here, we present the findings from a radiosonde field campaign carried out during the total solar eclipse of July 2, 2019 aimed at detecting eclipse-driven gravity waves in the stratosphere. This eclipse was the source of three stratospheric gravity waves. The first wave (eclipse wave #1) was detected 156 min after totality and the other two waves were detected 53 and 62 min after totality (eclipse waves #2 and #3 respectively) using balloon-borne radiosondes. Our results demonstrate both the importance of field campaign design and the limitations of currently accepted balloon-borne analysis techniques for the detection of stratospheric gravity waves.

The primary factor accounting for the lack of sounding data availability is, quite simply, cost. Budgets allocated to soundings in developing countries of Africa and South America are often limited or a minute part of a bigger budget. This results in the inability of a vast majority of developing countries to comply with the standards set by the WMO in their 2007 revision of the WMO Convention originally published on 11 October 1947. Here, we take as an example the Instituto de Hidrologia, Meteorologia y Estudios Ambientales (IDEAM), which, as the governmental institute for meteorological and hydrological services of Colombia, is responsible for recording the climate at a national level. In 2011, the meteorological station of the IDEAM in Leticia (WMO #80398), based in the southern tip of the Colombian Amazon and hence in charge of recording meteorological data on global water vapor regulation in a critical region, received funding for a total of only 119 flights, whereas the T HE IMPORTANCE OF ATMOSPHERIC SOUNDINGS. While accuracy and coverage of satellite imagery have improved markedly in recent years, radiosonde-collected data still provide us with the most detailed measurements of the troposphere (i.e., the lower part of the atmosphere where most hydrological atmospheric processes occur) due to their fine vertical resolution (i.e., 5-10 m). However, instrument biases (temperature, relative humidity, pressure, wind direction, and wind speed) are compounded in the tropics by relying on sparse sampling of data. Figure 1 shows the locations of operational sounding stations from the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) upper-air network (GUAN) as recorded by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in February 2011. The figure illustrates the scarcity of sounding stations, particularly in developing countries compared to other parts of the globe.

The 21 August 2017 total solar eclipse was the first total eclipse on the mainland of the United States since 1979. The Atmospheric Responses of 2017 Total Solar Eclipse (ARTSE2017) project was created to observe the response of the atmosphere to the shadow of the moon. During the eclipse, 10 sites launched radiosondes in a very rapid, serial weather balloon deployment along the totality path, and high-resolution mesoscale meteorological network (mesonet) data were collected in three states. Here, we focus on the results obtained from the radiosonde field campaign in Fort Laramie, Wyoming, and the New York State Mesonet (NYSM). In Fort Laramie, 36 people from 13 institutions flew 19 radiosondes and launched 5 large balloons carrying video payloads before, during, and after the eclipse while continuously recording surface weather data. Preliminary analysis of the radiosonde data provided inconclusive evidence of eclipse-driven gravity waves but showed that the short duration of darkness during totality was enough to alter boundary layer (BL) height, the lowest layer of the atmosphere, substantially. The statewide impact of the partial eclipse in New York State (NYS) was observed for solar radiation, surface temperature, surface wind, and surface-layer lapse rate using NYSM data. Importantly, the radiosonde and mesonet data collected during the eclipse will be available for public access. ARTSE2017 also focused on education, including students from all demographics (undergraduate and K–12) and the general public. Finally, we summarize goals accomplished from leveraging resources for education, research, and workforce development on undergraduate students from a variety of fields.

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