This project will investigate sources of short-period gravity waves at high polar latitudes as well as the atmospheric conditions which influence their propagation. This investigation will utilize measurements of gravity waves and mesospheric wind speeds acquired by an all-sky imager and meteor radar co-located at Rothera on the Antarctic Peninsula. The observed wave data will be analyzed in conjunction with the Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System Advanced High Altitude (NOGAPS-ALPHA) forecasting and data assimilative model of the upper atmosphere, along with a Fourier ray tracing model for localization of wave source regions. This analysis will result in an identification of dominant wave sources at high latitudes, including an assessment of the importance of orographic waves, as well as a characterization of atmospheric conditions which affect wave ducting and propagation.
