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Study of stratospheric-ionospheric coupling during thunderstorms and tornadoesA continuous-wave-spectrum high-frequency Doppler sounder array with three transmitters at each of three sites was used to observe the dynamics of the coupling of energy between the stratosphere and the ionosphere. During times of severe weather activity wavelike disturbances have been detected on ground-based ionospheric sounding records as perturbations in electron densities. Infrasonic waves with wave periods of 3-7 min and with horizontal phase velocities of 600-800 m/s were observed when there was thunderstorm activity; gravity waves with wave periods of 10-15 min and horizontal phase velocities of 100-200 m/s were detected when there was tornado activity. Both triangulations from the cross correlation functions of the Doppler records based on an assumption of no background wind shear and ray-tracing computations including an assumed background wind shear indicate that the waves originated in the vicinity of the thunderstorms and tornadoes. A comparison of the wavelengths of the infrasonic and gravity waves observed at ionospheric heights and those in cloud-top pictures from satellites show that they are all of the order of 100-300 km.
Document ID
19780034215
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Hung, R. J.
(Alabama, University Huntsville, Ala., United States)
Smith, R. E.
(NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, Ala., United States)
Date Acquired
August 9, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1977
Subject Category
Geophysics
Meeting Information
Meeting: Symposium on Minor Constituents and Excited Species
Start Date: June 9, 1976
End Date: June 10, 1976
Accession Number
78A18124
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF ATM-75-15706
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS8-31171
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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