Articles | Volume 25, issue 17
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10159-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-10159-2025
Research article
 | 
09 Sep 2025
Research article |  | 09 Sep 2025

Contribution of gravity waves to shear in the extratropical lowermost stratosphere: insights from idealized baroclinic life cycle experiments

Madhuri Umbarkar and Daniel Kunkel

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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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Cited articles

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Andrews, D. G., Taylor, F. W., and McIntyre, M. E.: The Influence of Atmospheric Waves on the General Circulation of the Middle Atmosphere [and Discussion], Philos. T. R. Soc. S.-A, 323, 693–705, http://www.jstor.org/stable/38143 (last access: 27 July 2024), 1987. a
Appenzeller, C., Holton, J. R., and Rosenlof, K. H.: Seasonal variation of mass transport across the tropopause, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 101, 15071–15078, https://doi.org/10.1029/96jd00821, 1996. a
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Atmospheric gravity waves (GWs) significantly enhance vertical shear in the lowermost stratosphere (LMS), influencing turbulence and mixing in the extratropical transition layer. Using idealized baroclinic life cycle experiments with the ICON model, this study demonstrates that moisture and cloud processes amplify GW activity, driving strong shear and turbulence in the LMS. These findings highlight the critical role of GWs in shaping the dynamics in the LMS, particularly for clear air turbulence.
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