A survey of gravity waves in West Texas

Date
2008-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract

Gravity waves are not uncommon in the atmosphere. They occur most often as a result of some imbalance in the atmosphere and act as a restoring force for the atmosphere. Most gravity waves are generated as a result of decaying storms. The energy released from these storms causes the initial imbalance in the atmosphere which is then restored by the resulting gravity waves. In general, gravity waves have the following characteristics. Wavelength: 50-400 km, amplitude: 0.2-2 mb, horizontal phase speed: 10-30 m/s, period: 0.5-4 hours. These gravity waves can be observed as either a wave packet, which is most common, or as a single wave.

There is limited understanding of gravity waves, however, these waves have the potential to significantly effect the weather. The research I have conducted includes seven different gravity wave cases, all of which occurred under different conditions. Conclusions will be drawn about the synoptic conditions associated with these gravity waves as well as source mechanisms of these wave events. I hope to determine some sort of conclusions about gravity waves in general.

Description
Keywords
West Texas, Gravity waves
Citation