Abstract
Airglow imager observations of atmospheric gravity waves at Alice Springs and Adelaide, Australia during the Darwin Area Wave Experiment (DAWEX)
Space Science Applications Laboratory, The Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, California, USA
Department of Physics and Mathematical Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Department of Physics and Mathematical Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Space Science Applications Laboratory, The Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, California, USA
Department of Physics and Mathematical Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
The Darwin Area Wave Experiment occurred in Australia from October to December 2001. An objective was to characterize the
atmospheric gravity wave field produced from intense convective activity that is routinely observed around Darwin during November
and December. Two airglow imagers were sited at Adelaide and at Alice Springs, each located over 1000 km south of Darwin.
Waves were observed at the mesopause region propagating predominantly toward the southeast, with some going to the northwest
but with none observed going from east to west. The lack of waves propagating toward the west suggests some wind filtering
mechanism below 80 km altitude. Waves observed over Alice Springs were analyzed in detail on three nights. On 16 November
they were seen propagating toward the northwest. It is proposed that they were generated by dynamical events associated with
a cutoff low-pressure system present over southwest Australia. On 17 and 19 November the observations are consistent with
wave generation by convective activity present in the Darwin area. Thus as proposed by
Received 25 February 2004; accepted 31 August 2004; published 30 October 2004.
Citation: (2004), Airglow imager observations of atmospheric gravity waves at Alice Springs and Adelaide, Australia during the Darwin Area Wave Experiment (DAWEX), J. Geophys. Res., 109, D20S05, doi:10.1029/2004JD004697.
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