Monitoring Stratospheric Winds with Concorde-Generated Infrasound

Abstract

The relatively low frequency of the sonic boom generated by the Concorde SST permits propagation in the form of infrasound to long range with small attenuation. Signal characteristics at long range are a function of atmospheric propagation parameters. When the relationship of propagation to signal is understood, then propagation conditions can be determined by inversion with good accuracy. We show here how signal recorded at Palisades, New York, from the Dulles-bound SST reveals direction and speed of stratospheric wind variations diurnally and seasonally and also gives details of at least local circulation change at times of stratospheric warmings.