25th Conference on Hurricanes and Tropical Meteorology

11B.1

Effects of Hurricanes on the Stratosphere: Evidence of Gravity Wave Activity From CAMEX-4 In Situ Measurements and Mesoscale Modeling

Eric A. Ray, NOAA/AL, Boulder, CO; and K. H. Rosenlof, E. C. Richard, K. K. Kelly, M. J. Mahoney, and M. J. Alexander

In situ measurements of ozone and water vapor from the ER-2 aircraft during the CAMEX-4 experiment contain features which suggest the stratosphere is disturbed by wave activity above hurricanes. The predominant waves produced by hurricanes are thought to be gravity waves. The propagation of gravity waves above tropical convective storms inferred from radiosonde data has been shown to have a significant impact on the energy balance of the lower stratosphere in several previous studies. However, very few measurements exist in the stratosphere above hurricanes. In this study we use ER-2 in situ and microwave temperature profiler measurements as well as NCAR/PSU MM5 simulations of Hurricanes Erin and Humberto to deduce the gravity wave activity and impact on the stratospheric energy balance above the hurricanes.

Session 11B, Large-Scale Dynamics and Convection VI (Parallel with Sessions 11A, 11C, and 11D)
Wednesday, 1 May 2002, 4:00 PM-5:30 PM

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