EarthRef.org Reference Database (ERR)
Development and Maintenance by the EarthRef.org Database Team

Detailed Reference Information
Nastrom et al. 1997
Nastrom, G.D., Van Zandt, T.E. and Warnock, J.M. (1997). Vertical wavenumber spectra of wind and temperature from high-resolution balloon soundings over Illinois. Journal of Geophysical Research 102: doi: 10.1029/96JD03784. issn: 0148-0227.

We spectrally analyzed high-resolution balloon measurements of vertical profiles of temperature and horizontal wind in the troposphere and lower stratosphere over very flat terrain in Illinois. This paper is principally concerned with spectra in the power law range at vertical wavenumbers m≥10-3 cycle/m. The logarithmic spectral slopes and amplitudes are found to have only insignificant dependencies on meteorological parameters, including time of day, season, wind speed and direction, vertical shear, etc., except that between the troposphere and stratosphere the spectral amplitude scales as (N2)q with q~0.3, where N is the buoyancy frequency. The mean slopes are ≈-3 in the stratosphere and ≈-2.6 in the troposphere. On the average the individual spectra with larger amplitudes have less negative spectral slopes. The wide variation of spectral slopes (&sgr;≈0.5) and amplitudes and the weak dependence on N2 are quite inconsistent with the predictions of theories of saturated spectra. Further, the wind spectra in the troposphere and stratosphere are correlated, which suggests some unsaturated propagation between the regions. The ratio of kinetic to potential energy spectra is constant versus m, consistent with the linear gravity wave polarization relations. The magnitude of the model ratio can be brought into agreement with the observed ratio by assuming a model intrinsic frequency spectrum varying as ω-p with p~5/3 to 2 plus an enhancement of energy near the inertial frequency.¿ 1997 American Geophysical Union

BACKGROUND DATA FILES

Abstract

Keywords
Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics, Waves and tides, Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics, Mesoscale meteorology, Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics, Middle atmosphere dynamics (0341, 0342)
Journal
Journal of Geophysical Research
http://www.agu.org/journals/jb/
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
2000 Florida Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009-1277
USA
1-202-462-6900
1-202-328-0566
service@agu.org
Click to clear formClick to return to previous pageClick to submit