A mesoscale gravity wave event observed during CCOPE. Part I: multiscale statistical analysis of wave characteristics

Abstract

This paper is the first in a series of three papers concerning a gravity wave event that occurred over the northcentral United States on 11-12 July 1981. The event is analyzed with superb detail resulting from the availability of digitized radar, surface mesonetwork, and other special data from the Cooperative Convective Precipitation Experiment (CCOPE) in Montana. The subject matter of this paper consists of 1) a statistical determination of the wave characteristics; 2) a demonstration that the observed phenomena display a nature consistent with that of gravity waves; and 3) a discussion of the principles and limitations of statistical methods for detecting and tracking mesoscale gravity waves. -from Authors