Gravity wave characteristics in the troposphere, lower stratosphere, and mesopause at the South Pole

A four-year (1993-1996) temperature and wind data set obtained from high-resolution balloon soundings at the South Pole is combined with three years (1995-1997) of mesospheric Na lidar measurements to examine the characteristics of gravity waves at the South Pole. Studies examine the troposphere, lower-stratosphere, and mesopause. It is found that wave strength in the lower atmosphere is always less energetic than at low- and midlatitude sites. In austral winter, wave amplitudes are about one-fourth their summertime values. Wave amplitudes in the mesopause are as large as those seen at other locations around the globe in austral autumn. In winter, mesospheric wave energy drops by nearly a factor of 10. Saturated wave dissipation mechanisms do not explain the observed wave growth with altitude.