Statistical characteristics of AGW wave packet propagation in the lower atmosphere observed by the MU radar

Abstract. We study the horizontal structure of the atmospheric gravity waves (AGW) in the height ranges between 6 and 22 km observed using the MU radar at Shigaraki in Japan, during a 3 day period in January and a 4 day period in August 1988. The data were divided by double Fourier transformation into a data set of upward moving waves and a data set of downward moving waves for independent analysis. The phase and group velocity tracing technique was applied to measure the vertical group and phase velocity as well as the characteristic period of the gravity wave packet. Then the dispersion equation of the linear theory of AGW was solved to obtain its intrinsic wave period – horizontal wavelength and horizontal group velocity – and the vertical flux of horizontal momentum associated with each wave packet was estimated to help determine the direction of the characteristic horizontal wave vector. The results showed that the waves with periods in the range of 30 min~6 h had horizontal scales ranging from 20 km to 1500 km, vertical scales from 4 km to 15 km, and horizontal phase velocities from 15 m/s to 60 m/s. The upward moving wave packets of wave period of 2 h~6 h had horizontal group velocities mainly toward east-south-east and northeast in winter, and mainly in the section between the directions of west-north-west and north in summer.