Articles | Volume 18, issue 14
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-10799-2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-10799-2018
Research article
 | 
31 Jul 2018
Research article |  | 31 Jul 2018

Impact of gravity waves on the motion and distribution of atmospheric ice particles

Aurélien Podglajen, Riwal Plougonven, Albert Hertzog, and Eric Jensen

Data sets

The NASA Airborne Tropical Tropopause Experiment: High-Altitude Aircraft Measurements in the Tropical Western Pacific E. J. Jensen, L. Pfister, D. E. Jordan, T. V. Bui, R. Ueyama, H. B. Singh, T. D. Thornberry, A. W. Rollins, R. Gao, D. W. Fahey, K. H. Rosenlof, J. W. Elkins, G. S. Diskin, J. P. DiGangi, R. P. Lawson, S. Woods, E. L. Atlas, M. A. Navarro Rodriguez, S. C. Wofsy, J. Pittman, C. G. Bardeen, O. B. Toon, B. C. Kindel, P. A. Newman, M. J. McGill, D. L. Hlavka, L. R. Lait, M. R. Schoeberl, J. W. Bergman, H. B. Selkirk, M. J. Alexander, J. Kim, B. H. Lim, J. Stutz, and K. Pfeilsticker https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-14-00263.1

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Short summary
Using a simplified analytical setup, we show that the temperature and wind fluctuations due to an atmospheric gravity wave can induce a localization of ice crystals in a specific region of the wave. In that region, the air is nearly saturated and the vertical wind anomaly is positive. As a consequence, reversible gravity wave motions have an irreversible impact (mean upward motion) on the ice crystals. Our findings are consistent with observations of cirrus clouds near the tropical tropopause.
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