Indications of convectively generated gravity waves in crista temperatures Original Research Article

During shuttle missions STS-66 (November, 1994) and STS-85 (August, 1997) the CRyogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere (CRISTA) acquired temperature data and mixing ratios of, among other trace gases, tropospheric water vapor with very high spatial resolution. Vertical profiles of temperature are analyzed for gravity waves (GW). Enhanced GW activity is found at the equator and in the northern hemispheric subtropics. The patterns of high GW excitation resemble regions of upward tropopause displacement, indicated by high water vapor mixing ratio, suggesting that the waves are generated by deep convection. The observed GWs have non—zero phase speeds with respect to the ground. The horizontal wavelengths of the waves are discussed in conjunction with the wave source.