Medium-scale thermospheric gravity waves in the high-resolution Whole Atmosphere Model: Seasonal, local time, and longitudinal variations

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution modeling and satellite data to analyze medium-scale gravity wave activity in the thermosphere, revealing seasonal, local time, and longitudinal variations, including a novel wavenumber-4 signature.

Contribution

It introduces a high-resolution Whole Atmosphere Model simulation that captures detailed gravity wave patterns and identifies a new wavenumber-4 signature modulated by non-migrating tides.

Findings

GW hotspots align with known sources in troposphere and stratosphere.

GW activity peaks at high latitudes during solstices.

A novel wavenumber-4 signature propagates eastward in the tropics.

Abstract

This paper presents a study of the global medium-scale (scales<620 km) gravity wave (GW) activity (in terms of zonal wind variance) and its seasonal, local time and longitudinal variations by employing the enhanced-resolution (~50 km) Whole Atmosphere Model (WAMT254) and space-based observations for geomagnetically quiet conditions. It is found that the GW hotspots produced by WAMT254 in the troposphere and stratosphere agree well with previously well-studied orographic and non-orographic sources. In the ionosphere-thermosphere (IT) region, GWs spread out forming latitudinal band-like hotspots. During solstices, a primary maximum in GW activity is observed in WAMT254 and GOCE over winter mid-high latitudes, likely associated with higher-order waves with primary sources in polar night jet, fronts and polar vortex. During all the seasons, the enhancement of GWs around the geomagnetic poles as observed by GOCE (at ~250 km) is well captured by simulations. WAMT254 GWs in the IT region also show dependence on local time due to their interaction with migrating tides leading to diurnal and semidiurnal variations. The GWs are more likely to propagate up from the MLT region during westward/weakly-eastward phase of thermospheric tides, signifying the dominance of eastward GW momentum flux in the MLT. Additionally, as a novel finding, a wavenumber-4 signature in GW activity is predicted by WAMT254 between 6-12 LT in the tropics at ~250 km, which propagates eastward with local time. This behavior is likely associated with the modulation of GWs by wave-4 signal of non-migrating tides in the lower thermospheric zonal winds.