Global analysis of scintillation variance: Indication of gravity wave breaking in the polar winter upper stratosphere

doi:doi:10.1029/2006GL028132

Abstract

V. F. Sofieva

Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland

E. Kyrölä

Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland

S. Hassinen

Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland

L. Backman

Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland

J. Tamminen

Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland

A. Seppälä

Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland

L. Thölix

Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland

A. S. Gurvich

A. M. Oboukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Moscow, Russia

V. Kan

A. M. Oboukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Moscow, Russia

F. Dalaudier

Service d'Aeronomie du CNRS, Verrieres-le-Buisson, France

A. Hauchecorne

Service d'Aeronomie du CNRS, Verrieres-le-Buisson, France

J.-L. Bertaux

Service d'Aeronomie du CNRS, Verrieres-le-Buisson, France

D. Fussen

Institut d'Aeronomie Spatiale de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium

F. Vanhellemont

Institut d'Aeronomie Spatiale de Belgique, Brussels, Belgium

O. Fanton d' Andon

ACRI-ST, Sophia-Antipolis, France

G. Barrot

ACRI-ST, Sophia-Antipolis, France

A. Mangin

ACRI-ST, Sophia-Antipolis, France

M. Guirlet

ACRI-ST, Sophia-Antipolis, France

T. Fehr

European Space Research Institute, European Space Agency, Frascati, Italy

P. Snoeij

European Space Research and Technology Centre, European Space Agency, Noordwijk, Netherlands

L. Saavedra

European Space Research Institute, European Space Agency, Frascati, Italy

R. Koopman

European Space Research Institute, European Space Agency, Frascati, Italy

R. Fraisse

EADS-Astrium, Toulouse, France

Stellar scintillations observed through the Earth atmosphere are caused by air density irregularities generated mainly by internal gravity waves and turbulence. We present global analysis of scintillation variance in two seasons of year 2003 based on GOMOS/Envisat fast photometer measurements. Scintillation variance can serve as a qualitative indicator of intensity of small-scale processes in the stratosphere. Strong increase of scintillation variance at high latitudes in winter is observed. The maximum of scintillation variance can be associated with the polar night jet. The simplified spectral analysis has shown the transition of scintillation spectra toward small scales with altitude, which is probably related with turbulence appearing as a result of wave breaking. The breaking of gravity waves in the polar night jet seems to start in the upper stratosphere, a predicted, but not confirmed by observations before, feature. Weaker enhancements in tropics are also observed; they might be related to tropical convection.

Received 11 September 2006; accepted 14 December 2006; published 8 February 2007.

Citation: Sofieva, V. F., et al. (2007), Global analysis of scintillation variance: Indication of gravity wave breaking in the polar winter upper stratosphere, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L03812, doi:10.1029/2006GL028132.

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