Measurements made during a field campaign in Idaho indicate that the speed of winds 2 meters above Earth’s surface determines the type of turbulence present in nighttime inversions.
wind
Posted inResearch Spotlights
High-Altitude “Wind Walls” Discovered near Magnetic Poles
Satellite imaging reveals two narrow channels of extreme winds surrounded by gentle opposing flow 140–250 kilometers above sea level.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Energetics of Western Boundary Current Surface Flows Are Similar
Despite different wind forcing and air-sea heating conditions, the surface layer energetics of two Western Boundary Current systems in different ocean basins are surprisingly similar.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Tides and Waves Interact to Cause Hurricanes in Near-Space
The interaction of tides and waves generated in the lower atmosphere can cause the mean zonal wind speed in the lower ionosphere to oscillate equivalent to a category 1 hurricane at Earth’s surface.
Posted inEditors' Vox
A Landscape Shaped by Wind
High-altitude aeolian research on the Tibetan Plateau offers insights into the past, present, and future.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Measuring Hurricane Wind Speed from Space
A new technique based on GPS signals could provide better wind speed measurements during hurricanes and cyclones.
Posted inNews
Gulf Stream Slowed as Hurricanes Struck
Hurricanes Jose and Maria temporarily decelerated this powerful ocean current’s flow last year, according to data from an ocean glider that rode the stream between Florida and Massachusetts.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Ocean Wind Satellites Observe an Amazonian Drought
Satellites designed to observe ocean winds can also be used to map both forest structure and water content, allowing researchers to disentangle factors of carbon loss due to drought in the Amazon.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Pinpointing Effects of Hadley Cell Expansion
As a major atmospheric circulation system spreads farther poleward, some regions are drying out. But as time passes, will this drying be symmetrical across the globe?
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Sounding Rockets Probe the Northern Lights Above Norway
Scientists measure how the aurora affects winds in the upper atmosphere.