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Zonal wave number variance spectra of stratospheric microwave brightness temperaturesWell-known theoretical predictions suggest that variances of large-scale atmospheric fluctuations, for scales somewhat shorter than those of the forcing mechanisms, should obey a power law, k exp -b, where k is the horizontal wave number. The invariance of the exponent b with season, hemisphere, and latitude is tested using satellite-measured brightness temperatures. Global grids of Tiros-N Microwave Sounding Unit channel 4 measurements, which closely approximate the 30- to 150-mbar layer mean temperature, are constructed for January, March, and August 1979. These grids are zonally Fourier-transformed, and the resulting spectra are averaged over four 18 deg-wide latitude bands. Fits of a power law to these spectra over wave numbers 10-36 and 10-26 give values of b which are independent of season, hemisphere, and latitude band, to within statistical uncertainties. The observed values of b are about 3.6, as compared to theoretical predictions of 3.
Document ID
19870038266
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Martin, Russell L.
(Applied Research Corp. Landover, MD, United States)
Stanford, John L.
(Iowa State University of Science and Technology, Ames, United States)
Date Acquired
August 13, 2013
Publication Date
November 20, 1986
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 91
ISSN: 0148-0227
Subject Category
Geophysics
Accession Number
87A25540
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG5-577
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF 81-21952
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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