A solitary wave packet in the atmosphere observed from space

Zheng, Quanan; Yan, Xiao‐Hai; Liu, W. Timothy; Klemas, V.; Greger, Dietmar; Wang, Zongming

doi:10.1029/98gl02319

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…A similar phenomenon has been observed over the northern Arabian Sea from the space shuttle Columbia during April–May 1993 [ Zheng et al , 1998a]. The altitude of the shuttle was near 260 km and the spatial resolution of the photograph was about 25 m. Cloud lines parallel to the Pakistan coast have been detected.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 75%

“…These cloud lines could be the signature of a solitary wave packet generated at 0430 LT and moving toward the south. Land breeze and katabatic flow are suggested as possible mechanisms for the generation of these wave packets [ Zheng et al , 1998a, 1998b]. The North Australian morning glories appear in coastal areas in similar meteorological conditions: land breeze, katabatic flow, almost cloudless skies [ Clarke , 1972; Smith , 1988].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Systematic observation of westward propagating cloud bands over the Arabian Sea during Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) from Meteosat‐5 data

et al. 2003

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During the field experiment phase of the Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX), linear cloud formations parallel to the West Indian coast and propagating westward have been observed. Meteosat‐5 images are used for the description of the life cycle of these events. Single cloud bands, or main cloud bands followed by (up to 10) secondary parallel cloud lines with a wavelike pattern, have been observed daily during four periods in the dry season of 1999 (15 January, 16–19 February, 27 February to 7 March, and 1–3 April 1999). During these four periods, one single cloud band or a packet of cloud bands is generated every day at nighttime. Their length reaches several hundreds of kilometers, their width lies below 40 km, and their duration in some cases exceeds 24 hours. The smaller cloud lines observed behind the leading cloud line are narrower and are separated by a distance of 2–10 km. Cloud tops are about 3–8°C colder than the Arabian Sea, corresponding to an altitude between 500 and 1200 m during the night and below 2500 m during daytime. Cloud bands travel westward over the Arabian Sea at a speed around 13 m/s, greater than the wind speed measured in the surrounding area. The motion of the cloud band presents similarities with the wavelike propagation of atmospheric phenomena such as the Australian morning glories. Common elements to the different cases are the following: weak low‐level winds close to the southwestern Indian coast when the cloud bands appear, winds with a northerly component in the vicinity of the northwestern Indian coast, the presence of a sea‐land breeze circulation along the West Indian coast, and the presence of high concentrations of pollutants over the northeastern Arabian Sea. However, existing physical links between these elements (if any) still have to be investigated.

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic observation of westward propagating cloud bands over the Arabian Sea during Indian Ocean Experiment (INDOEX) from Meteosat‐5 data

et al. 2003

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“…Particularly interesting is the fact that some AGWs have phase lines almost parallel to the Madagascar and Mozambique coastlines (see also propagation directions in the map provided in figure 6(b)). This feature may be an indication that some of the observed AGWs are generated as a result of land-sea surface thermal gradients (Zheng et al 1998, Li et al 2001. Satellite overpasses over the study region occur near local noon (approximately Terra/Envisat at 7:30 GMT and Aqua at 10:30 GMT, just after local noon).…”

Section: Seasonal Variability and Possible Generation Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…No equivalent work has emerged since for atmospheric internal waves. Even so, the analysis of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and other image data has been revealing that, atmospheric non-linear internal waves can be as ubiquitous as their oceanic look-alikes, for some regions (Thompson et al 1992, Vachon et al 1994, Alpers and Stilke 1996, Zheng et al 1998, Chunchuzov et al 2000, Li et al 2001. Also, particularly well-documented examples of atmospheric internal solitary-like waves are the Morning Glories from the Gulf of Carpentaria in north-eastern Australia (Clarke et al 1981, Smith and Morton 1984, Crook 1986, Crook 1988, Nooman and Smith 1985, Porter and Smyth 2002.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Satellite observations of large atmospheric gravity waves in the Mozambique Channel

Silva

Magalhaes

2009

International Journal of Remote Sensing

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Satellite imagery (MODIS-Terra and Aqua, ASAR and MERIS-Envisat) has revealed signatures consistent with horizontally propagating large-scale atmospheric gravity waves which are frequently observed during the winter season in the Mozambique Channel. We examine and characterize statistically the full horizontal structure of these atmospheric gravity waves. The waves were found to have dispersive average wavelengths ranging from 8.5 to 3.5 km and a mean along-crest 'coherence' length of 443 km. The propagation characteristics of these waves are examined using in situ and remote sensing measurements. The propagation speeds are estimated using two consecutive satellite images of the same wave-packet and are used as a proxy for the waves' phase speeds. The Scorer parameter vertical profiles, calculated from available atmospheric soundings nearest to the satellite observations, were found to support wave propagation conditions. The vertical structure of stability and wind determine the favourable conditions for wave propagation. Air subsidence associated with high-pressure systems is an important factor setting the pre-conditions for wave propagation. Some suggestions are presented regarding the influence of Moving Polar Highs in the generation and propagation of the observed waves.

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“…(Gurevich and Pitaevskii, 1973), and analytical and numerical solutions to the perturbed and forced KdV (PKdV and fKdV) equations (Newell, 1985;Wu, 1987;Shen, 1993) (Christie et al, 1978); island lee waves (Vachon et al, 1994); solitary wave packets in the lower atmosphere (Zheng et al, 1998); mountain waves (Eckermann and Preusse, 1999); and waves in the ocean, such as internal waves that appear as a single soliton and solitary-wave packet (Osborne and Burch, 1980;Liu et al, 1998;Zheng et al, 2001), and the collision of two internal solitary wave packets in the deep ocean (Zheng et al, 1995). These fresh (Shen, 1993); the satellite image shows the evidence observed ten years later (Zheng et al, 2004 …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%