Asymmetry of atmospheric microstructure over synoptic scales

R. M. Worthington (1)

1 CIRES - Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

Distortions are often seen in the angular distribution of echo-power from VHF wind-profiling radars, suggesting that thin stable layers, within the air flow, are distorted and tilted from horizontal. In vertical shear of the horizontal wind, the distribution of the layer tilt angles becomes skewed. A case study using six days of VHF radar data and synoptic charts above western Europe indicates that this asymmetry of atmospheric microstructure can exist throughout the troposphere and lower stratosphere, above and below the jet wind maximum, over horizontal scales of thousands of kilometres.

Domaines: Océan, Atmosphère; Sciences de la Terre

R. M. Worthington. Asymmetry of atmospheric microstructure over synoptic scales. Annales Geophysicae, 2001, 19 (8), pp.921-924. ⟨hal-00316885⟩