High-Resolution Observations with MU Radar of a KH Instability Triggered by an Inertia–Gravity Wave in the Upper Part of a Jet Stream

Abstract

Kelvin?Helmholtz (KH) instability is likely one of the most important sources of clear-air turbulence in the lower atmosphere. It produces billows, which mix and transport heat and materials vertically in the stably stratified atmosphere. Billows can also dissipate energy; therefore they can affect the larger-scale dynamics. While only a few direct observations have been reported in the tropopause region, in this work the authors report very detailed observations of billow structures around 16-km altitude, in the upper part of the jet stream. Observations were made with very high frequency (VHF)-band mid- and upper-atmosphere (MU) radar (Shigaraki, Japan; 34.85°N, 136.10°E) whose height resolution was improved with a range-imaging technique. KH billow structures were observed for at least 2 h and were found to have horizontal wavelengths of about 5.3 km and vertical extents between 0.5 and 1.0 km. Analysis of wind and temperature profiles measured by radiosondes launched from nearby meteorological stations indicated the presence of nearly monochromatic disturbances, likely due to a dominant inertia?gravity wave (IGW) superimposed on the background wind field. The presence of the IGW was also confirmed by analysis of wind profiles measured by the MU radar just before the KH billows were detected by the observations in range-imaging mode. The IGW, with vertical and horizontal wavelengths of about 3.5 and 600 km, respectively, may have been a direct radiation from the jet stream, as suggested by recent works, and likely played a major role in the onset of the observed KH instability.