WAVEGUIDE
The objective of WAVEGUIDE is to study gravity waves in the lower and middle atmosphere above Europe and the North Atlantic region. The project examines non-orographic gravity waves in the vicinity of the polar night jet and their refraction and propagation into the polar night jet, as well as lateral propagation of mountain waves, wave breaking and excitation of secondary waves. WAVEGUIDE will make use of the HALO aircraft which will carry the upward looking ALIMA temperature and wind lidar system, broadband imagers for observing OH airglow, the GLORIA limb imager observing 3D temperature and trace species below flight altitude, and the BAHAMAS in situ measurement system providing high-resolution temperature and pressure measurements at flight level. The aircraft will be based in Kiruna, Sweden, and research flights will take place over a 4-week period from late November to mid-December, 2026, coincident with the expected maximum in gravity wave activity along the polar vortex edge.
Project | WAVEGUIDE |
|---|---|
Goal | Study of gravity waves in the vicinity of the polar vortex edge |
Zeitraum | 2026 |
Projektart | HALO measurement campaign for middle atmosphere research |
Mittelgeber | DLR programme Space |
Projektleitung |
Science background and expected outcome
Gravity waves are an important dynamical feature of planetary atmospheres. Gravity waves can propagate over thousands of kilometers, interact with other waves and the background wind, and redistribute energy and momentum. Deposition of their momentum drives a global circulation that determines the thermal and dynamical structure of Earth’s middle atmosphere. Detailed knowledge of gravity wave processes is therefore required to improve global models of the atmosphere and quantify the role of the atmosphere for space weather effects. Gravity waves are, for example, generated by flow over mountains, but other sources exist and are less understood. WAVEGUIDE aims to explore gravity waves that are generated within the stratosphere at the boundary of the polar vortex, a highly dynamic region with strong winds that impacts winter weather at northern mid-latitudes.
The primary science questions are related to:
- Non-orographic gravity waves in the vicinity of the polar night jet,
- Mountain wave breaking and generation of secondary waves,
- Gravity waves inside the polar vortex and above the pole, polar lows, and Arctic convection, and
- Mountain waves and wave refraction in the stratosphere.
In addition, the project will characterize turbulence at flight level and investigate links between gravity waves in the stratosphere, at the mesopause, and ionospheric phenomena, and thus the contribution of the neutral atmosphere to space weather.
WAVEGUIDE will document the presence of gravity waves in various conditions typical for the winter atmosphere, enhance our understanding of gravity wave processes, and provide observational data for model validations.
WAVEGUIDE draws heritage from previous efforts like the DEEPWAVE campaign in New Zealand in 2014 and the SouthTRAC campaign in South America in 2019. It focuses on the northern polar vortex, which is more variable than the southern polar vortex.
Project | WAVEGUIDE |
|---|---|
Platform | |
Instrumentation |
|
Campaign base | Kiruna, Sweden |
Duration | 23 November – 18 December 2026 |
Number of flights | 12, including transfer |
HALO flights during WAVEGUIDE will be conducted in an area encompassing southern Germany, Scandinavia, the UK, the Atlantic Ocean, Iceland, the east coast of Greenland, Spitzbergen and the North Pole. The WAVEGUIDE campaign will be coordinated with measurements by existing ground-based instrumentation, e.g. lidars, passive optical instruments, radars, and radiosonde releases.
Participating Institutes
Links
- Research Topic Middle Atmosphere
- ALIMA lidar
- GLORIA FTS
- HALO research aircraft
- Project RESITEK
- HALO mission
- Information for scientists (contact B. Kaifler for access)