Abstract At mesospheric heights, VHF radar measurements reveal strong signal power bursts which have the same period as simultaneously observed short-period velocity oscillations. Both the power bursts and the velocity oscillations occur in layers of maximum vertical wind shear generated by tidal or long-period gravity waves with apparent vertical wavelengths of the order of 10 km. A comparison with similar power bursts measured in the troposphere during a jet stream passage leads to the conclusion that the short-period velocity oscillations are due to a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. This instability in turn generates superadiabatic lapse rates so that strong turbulence can occur which produces the observed signal power bursts.


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    Title :

    VHF radar observation of wave instability and turbulence in the mesosphere


    Contributors:

    Published in:

    Publication date :

    1984-01-01


    Size :

    4 pages




    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



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