Wave propagation and transport in the middle atmosphere

The paper reviews the dynamics of wave propagation and wave transport for vertically propagating, planetary scale waves in the middle atmosphere. Such waves are divided into two major classes: extratropical planetary waves and equatorial waves. The most significant extratropical modes are the quasi-stationary Rossby waves, while the most significant equatorial modes are the Kelvin wave and the mixed Rossby-gravity wave. Both types of waves are capable of generating mean flow changes through wave-mean flow interaction.