Coincident/Simultaneous Observations of Stratospheric Concentric Gravity Waves and Concentric Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances Over the Continental U.S. in 2022

Abstract

This study examines the seasonal distributions of simultaneous stratospheric concentric gravity waves (GWs) observed by the Atmospheric Infrared Sounders and concentric traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) detected by the ground-based Global Navigation Satellite System Total Electron Content observations over the U.S. in 2022, to illustrate the mesoscale vertical coupling between the lower atmosphere and the ionosphere. We compared epicenters of GWs and TIDs in the stratosphere and ionosphere with tropospheric weather conditions and background winds in the thermosphere. Epicenters of concentric TIDs associated with stratospheric concentric GWs correspond to areas with high convective available potential energy over the central to eastern U.S. (∼60–110$°$W) in summer and over the southern U.S. (south of ∼40$°N$) in spring and fall. Conversely, in fall to spring, epicenters over the northern U.S. (north of ∼40$°N$) appeared south of regions with high extratropical cyclone activity. These findings suggest that convection was a primary source of concentric GWs driving TIDs over the continental U.S. during all four seasons, although the specific weather phenomena associated with the convection varied by season. Convection over the central to eastern U.S. in summer and the southern U.S. in spring could be linked to thunderstorms. In contrast, convection over the northern U.S. from fall through spring was likely linked to extratropical cyclones. We also found that concentric TIDs were linked to 66% of the stratospheric concentric GW events (195 events in total), underscoring the significant role of convection as a source of TIDs in the lower atmosphere and its contribution to the vertical coupling.