Quantifying the Role of Short-Period Gravity Waves on the Antarctic Mesospheric Dynamics Using an Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper

Excited primarily by deep convection, frontal activity, topography, and strong wind shears in the lower atmosphere, these waves transport energy and momentum upwards where they have a profound influence on the MLT dynamics.

Most of the wave forcing is expected to occur at mid-and low-latitudes where such sources predominate. However, short-period waves (exhibiting similar characteristics to mid-latitude events) have now been detected in copious quantities from research sites on the Antarctic Peninsula and the coastal regions exhibiting strong anisotropy in their dominant horizontal motions (and hence their momentum fluxes). Radiosonde measurements have established the existence of ubiquitous gravity wave activity at South Pole but, to date, there have been no detailed measurements of the properties of short-period waves at MLT heights deep in the Antarctic interior.