A comparative and numerical study of effects of gravity waves in small miss-distance and miss-time GPS radio occultation temperature profiles

The Global Positioning System (GPS) Radio Occultation (RO) technique has global coverage and is capable of generating high vertical resolution temperature profiles of the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere with sub-Kelvin accuracy and long-term stability, regardless of weather conditions. In this work, we take advantage of the anomalously high density of occultation events at the eastern side of the highest Andes Mountains during the initial mission months of COSMIC (Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate). This region is well-known for its high wave activity. We choose to study two pairs of GPS RO, both containing two occultations that occurred close in time and space. One pair shows significant differences between both temperature profiles. Numerical simulations with a mesoscale model were performed, in order to understand this discrepancy. It is attributed to the presence of a horizontal inhomogeneous structure caused by gravity waves.     

Gravity wave momentum flux generation close to mid-latitude Andes in mesoscale simulations of late 20th and 21st centuries

Adequate representations of diverse dynamical processes in general circulation models (GCM) are necessary to obtain reliable simulations of the present and the future. The parameterization of orographic gravity wave drag (GWD) is one of the critical components of GCM. It is therefore convenient to evaluate whether standard orographic GWD parameterizations are appropriate. One alternative is to study the generation of gravity waves (GW) with horizontal resolutions that are higher than those used in current GCM simulations. Here we assess the seasonal pattern of topographic GW momentum flux (GWMF) generation for the late 20th and 21st centuries in a downscaling using the Rossby Centre regional atmospheric model under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change A1B emission conditions. We focus on one of the world’s strongest extra-tropical GW zones, the Andes Mountains at mid-latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere. The presence of two GCM sub-grid scale structures locally contributing to GWMF (one positive and one negative) is found to the East of the mountains. For the late 21st century the strength of these structures during the GW high season increases around 23% with respect to the late 20th century, but the GWMF average over GCM grid cell scales remains negative and nearly constant around −0.015 Pa. This constitutes a steady significant contribution during GW high season, which is not related to the GWMF released by individual sporadic strong GW events. This characteristic agrees with the fact that no statistically significant variation in GWMF at source level has been observed in recent GCM simulations of atmospheric change induced by increases in greenhouse gases.     

功能梯度压电材料层状结构中的SH波

基于线性压电弹性理论,利用传递矩阵法,分析了功能梯度压电材料层状结构中的SH波传播特性,研究了压电梯度覆盖层中初始应力对SH波传播的影响。压电覆盖层的材料性能如弹性、压电、介电系数和密度沿厚度方向呈梯度变化。数值分析结果表明,适当的材料梯度分布,可使SH波倾向于沿覆盖层表面传播,由此能够获得更好的机电耦合性能;同时,初始应力使得波传播的相速度减小,但增大了机电耦合系数。文中的分析方法和结论,对固体火箭发动机超声探伤及其压电类传感器的研制和选择有一定的参考意义。     

电磁波与TVP相互作用

基于时变等离子体(TVP)的场方程,根据麦克斯韦方程,推导了TVP对入射电磁波的频率上移、时间衰减常数、反射系数,以及TVP的透射波和反射波电场幅值计算公式。通过实例计算分析了不同时间的新波频率、时间衰减常数和电场幅值。方法简单易行,可为TVP的应用提供一定的理论依据。     

Numerical modeling of inhomogeneous orographic wave influence on planetary waves in the middle atmosphere

Parameterization of dynamical and thermal effects of stationary orographic gravity waves (OGWs) generated by the Earth’s surface topography is incorporated into a numerical model of general circulation of the middle and upper atmosphere. Responses of atmospheric general circulation and characteristics of planetary waves at altitudes from the troposphere up to the thermosphere to the effects of OGWs propagating from the earth surface are studied. Changes in atmospheric circulation and amplitudes of planetary waves due to variations of OGW generation and propagation in different seasons are considered. It is shown that during solstices the main OGW dynamical and heat effects occur in the middle atmosphere of winter hemispheres, where changes in planetary wave amplitudes due to OGWs may reach up to 50%. During equinoxes OGW effects are distributed more homogeneously between northern and southern hemispheres.     

Spectroscopic Constraints on Models of Ion-cyclotron Resonance Heating in the Polar Solar Corona

Using empirical velocity distributions derived from UVCS and SUMER ultraviolet spectroscopy, we construct theoretical models of anisotropic ion temperatures in the polar solar corona. The primary energy deposition mechanism we investigate is the dissipation of high frequency (10-10000 Hz) ion-cyclotron resonant Alfvén waves which can heat and accelerate ions differently depending on their charge and mass. We find that it is possible to explain the observed high perpendicular temperatures and strong anisotropies with relatively small amplitudes for the resonant waves. There is suggestive evidence for steepening of the Alfvén wave spectrum between the coronal base and the largest heights observed spectroscopically. Because the ion-cyclotron wave dissipation is rapid, even for minor ions like O⁵⁺, the observed extended heating seems to demand a constantly replenished population of waves over several solar radii. This indicates that the waves are generated gradually throughout the wind rather than propagated up from the base of the corona. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

斜激波极值规律的边界层影响

采用边界层理论与斜激波/膨胀波精确算法，建立一种结合Eckert参考温度法和Illingworth-Stewartson变换法优势的边界层权重算法，用于研究超声速黏性楔面边界层位移厚度对斜激波极值规律的影响。分别应用层流Navier-Stokes方程和湍流Navier-Stokes方程的CFD解算器对边界层新模型进行了算例精度评估。在来流马赫数为1.2~2.4和楔面角为3°~20°的范围内，压强比的相对误差小于0.1%。计入层流与湍流边界层影响的理论模型研究表明，边界层影响使得最优马赫数增加；对于层流边界层，最优马赫数增量约为0.001 5~0.003 3；对于湍流边界层，最优马赫数增量约为0.002 8~0.006 1。     

Gravity waves and wind-shear in the MLT at 23°S

We have used the technique suggested by Hocking [Hocking, W. A new approach to momentum flux determinations using SKiYMET meteor radars. Ann. Geophys. 23, 2005.] to derive short period wind variances in the 80–100 km region from meteor radar data. We find that these fluctuating winds, assumed to correspond to gravity waves and turbulence, are closely correlated with the vertical shear of the horizontal tidal winds. This close correlation suggests that in situ wind shear may be a major source of gravity waves and turbulence in the MLT. If this is the case, gravity waves generated in the troposphere and propagating up to the MLT region, generally assumed to constitute an important influence on the climatology of the region, may be a less important source of energy and momentum in the 80–100 km region than has been hitherto believed.     

On the planetary ionospheric vortex electric fields

The paper presents a physical mechanism of large-scale vortex electric field generation in the ionospheric E- and F-layers. It shows that the planetary-scale, synoptic short-period (from several second to several hours) and fast processes (with propagation velocity higher than 1 km/s) produce a planetary-scale internal vortex electric field. Its value may far exceed that of the dynamo-field generated in the same ionospheric layer by local wind motion. We found, that an ionospheric source of the vortex electric field is spatial inhomogeneity of the geomagnetic field.     

New evidence for strong non-thermal effects in Tycho’s supernova remnant

For the case of Tycho’s supernova remnant (SNR), we present the relation between the blast wave and contact discontinuity radii calculated within the nonlinear kinetic theory of cosmic ray (CR) acceleration in SNRs. It is demonstrated that these radii are confirmed by recently published Chandra measurements which show that the observed contact discontinuity radius is very close to the shock radius. Therefore a consistent explanation of these observations can be given in terms of efficient CR acceleration which makes the medium more compressible.