Estimation of the momentum fluxes due to equatorial planetary scale waves from observations and comparison with numerical simulations

• Grant number: 13/00166-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: September 01, 2013
• End date: August 24, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geophysics
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Prado Batista
• Grantee: Fabio do Egito Gomes
• Host Institution: Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Planetary waves in equatorial region contribute significantly for the dynamics of the middle atmosphere considering that they are responsible by the significant transport of energy and momentum. Several works have been dedicated to the investigation of the occurrency and the characteristics of the equatorial waves in the region of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT). However, little atention has been given to the quantification of the momentum transported by these waves, as well their contribution to the mantainance of the basic circulation of the atmosphere. This is due principaly to the difficulty of obtaining reliable measurements of the vertical wind through the radars used to soundig the MLT. In a recent work, Babu et al. (2012), have shown that it is possible to estimate the vertical wind, and by this way calculate the momentum flux due to the planetary waves using wind measurements obtained by a meteor radar. So, in this study, we intent to apply the procedures proposed by Babu et al. (2012) to the observations by the meteor radar instaled in the equatorial region, in São João do Cariri (7,4ºS; 36,5ºW), jointly with temperature measurements obtained by the instrument SABER, onboard TIMED satellite , in order to calculate the momentum flux due to the planetary waves in the equatorial region, following, estimate the contribution of these waves for the maintainance of the basic circulation of the atmosphere. Aditionally, numerical simulations with a global circulation model of the atmosphere will be utilized for comparisom with the observational results aiming to interpret them.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

EGITO, F.; ANDRIOLI, V. F.; BATISTA, P. P.. Vertical winds and momentum fluxes due to equatorial planetary scale waves using all-sky meteor radar over Brazilian region. JOURNAL OF ATMOSPHERIC AND SOLAR-TERRESTRIAL PHYSICS, v. 149, p. 108-119, NOV 2016. (13/00166-6)