Fine Vertical Scale Wave Activity Observed in HIRDLS Temperature

HIRDLS 1 km vertical resolution is a significant advantage. After temperatures are retrieved as a function of altitude and latitude along the scan track, the mean temperature is removed to show the temperature perturbations about the mean. The plot on the upper left (ppt download) shows the temperature perturbations for June 19 2005 . An enlarged view of the region within the dotted lines, shown in the upper right, illustrates the alternating positive and negative fronts of a wave, propagating from the mid-latitude tropopause toward the middle-stratospheric tropics. The wave has a vertical wavelength is 3-4 km, horizontal wavelength of 500 km along the scan track, and an amplitude of 1-2K. The Goddard Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) analysis (lower left) for the same situation doesn't show the fine vertical structure seen in the HIRDLS data.