First Direct Observational Evidence for Secondary Gravity Waves
Generated by Mountain Waves over the Andes
Abstract
A mountain wave with a significant brightness temperature amplitude and
~500 km horizontal wavelength was observedover the
Southern Andes on 24–25 July 2017 in AIRS/Aqua satellite data. In the
MERRA-2 reanalysis data, a mesoscale vortex-like pattern appeared to the
west of the Andes at 2 km, and the wind flowed over the Andes.
VIIRS/Suomi-NPP did not detect the mountain waves; however, it observed
concentric ring-like waves in the nightglow emissions at
~87 km with ~100 km wavelengths on the
same night over and leeward of the Southern Andes. A ray tracing
analysis showed that the mountain waves propagated to the east of the
Andes, where concentric ring-like waves appeared while mountain waves
broke. Therefore, the concentric ring-like waves were likely secondary
gravity waves generated by momentum deposition that accompanied mountain
wave breaking. These results provide the first direct evidence for
secondary gravity waves generated by momentum deposition.