skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Upper Atmosphere Heating From Ocean-Generated Acoustic Wave Energy

Journal Article · · Geophysical Research Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL077737· OSTI ID:1441465
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]
  1. Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  2. Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States). Department of Geological Sciences

Abstract Colliding sea surface waves generate the ocean microbarom, an acoustic signal that may transmit significant energy to the upper atmosphere. Previous estimates of acoustic energy flux from the ocean microbarom and mountain‐wind interactions are on the order of 0.01 to 1 mW/m 2 , heating the thermosphere by tens of Kelvins per day. We captured upgoing ocean microbarom waves with a balloon‐borne infrasound microphone; the maximum acoustic energy flux was approximately 0.05 mW/m 2 . This is about half the average value reported in previous ground‐based microbarom observations spanning 8 years. The acoustic flux from the microbarom episode described here may have heated the thermosphere by several Kelvins per day while the source persisted. We suggest that ocean wave models could be used to parameterize acoustically generated heating of the upper atmosphere based on sea state.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC04-94AL85000; NA0003525
OSTI ID:
1441465
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1438084
Report Number(s):
SAND-2018-4089J; 662763
Journal Information:
Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 45, Issue 10; ISSN 0094-8276
Publisher:
American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 11 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (28)

Airglow observations of orographic, volcanic and meteorological infrasound signatures journal November 2013
Multiple-taper spectral analysis: A stand-alone C-subroutine journal March 1995
Energetics of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere and the SABER experiment journal January 1997
Acoustic energy transfer to the upper atmosphere from sinusoidal sources and a role of nonlinear processes journal August 2007
Ambient infrasound noise journal January 2005
On the acoustic heating of the polar night mesosphere journal April 1964
Dynamical heating of the upper atmosphere journal January 1965
Vertical flux of energy into the lower ionosphere from internal gravity waves generated in the troposphere journal February 1962
Acoustic energy transfer to the upper atmosphere from surface chemical and underground nuclear explosions journal February 2006
Net radiative heating and diagnostics of the diabatic circulation in the 15–110 km height layer journal October 1994
The radiation of atmospheric microbaroms by ocean waves journal May 2006
Acoustic waves in the ionospheric F2-region produced by severe thunderstorms journal October 1973
Energy Deposition and Turbulent Dissipation Owing to Gravity Waves in the Mesosphere journal January 2002
Worldwide Observations of Infrasonic Waves book November 2009
Acoustic waves in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere generated by deep tropical convection journal January 2003
Implementation, Characterization, and Evaluation of an Inexpensive Low-Power Low-Noise Infrasound Sensor Based on a Micromachined Differential Pressure Transducer and a Mechanical Filter journal September 2012
Propagation of sonic booms in the thermosphere journal January 1980
Modelling waveforms of infrasound arrivals from impulsive sources using weakly non-linear ray theory journal January 2015
Acoustic wave heating of the thermosphere journal October 2001
NRLMSISE-00 empirical model of the atmosphere: Statistical comparisons and scientific issues: TECHNIQUES journal December 2002
Orographic disturbances in the upper atmosphere journal December 2012
Gravity wave dynamics and effects in the middle atmosphere journal January 2003
Localization of microbarom sources using the IMS infrasound network: LOCALIZATION OF MICROBAROM SOURCES journal March 2012
Heating of the lower thermosphere by the dissipation of acoustic waves journal April 1977
A Comparison of the Ocean Microbarom Recorded on the Ground and in the Stratosphere: MICROBAROM IN THE STRATOSPHERE journal September 2017
The life cycle of a sudden stratospheric warming from infrasonic ambient noise observations journal November 2014
Propagation of sonic booms in the thermosphere journal November 1978
Data from: Upper atmosphere heating from ocean-generated acoustic wave energy
  • Bowman, Daniel C.; Lees, Jonathan M.
  • Dryad Digital Repository-Supplementary information for journal article at DOI: 10.1029/2018gl077737, 9 files https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.40877s4
dataset April 2018

Cited By (2)

Progressing emergent constraints on future climate change journal March 2019
Data from: Upper atmosphere heating from ocean-generated acoustic wave energy
  • Bowman, Daniel C.; Lees, Jonathan M.
  • Dryad Digital Repository-Supplementary information for journal article at DOI: 10.1029/2018gl077737, 9 files https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.40877s4
dataset April 2018