Reconstruction of the Internal-Wave Parameters in the Atmosphere from Signal Amplitude Fluctuations in a Radio-Occultation Experiment

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss a method for reconstructing the parameters of internal gravitational waves (IGWs) in the stratosphere from amplitude fluctuations in satellite radio-occultation observations. In the formation of radio-signal fluctuations, IGWs play the main role in these observations, while the contribution of isotropic turbulence is negligible. We consider methodological issues: (1) the choice of a model for the spatial spectrum of internal waves, (2) the derivation of relations connecting the statistical parameters of the IGW spectra and amplitude fluctuations in the approximation of a phase screen and weak fluctuations, (3) the development of a reconstruction algorithm, and (4) the estimation of possible errors. The reconstructed parameters are the outer or dominant scale and the structural characteristic of the vertical IGW spectrum, which determines the spectral amplitude in the saturation mode. The operating range covers altitudes from 28 km to the upper boundary of the tropopause. The error estimates for the reconstruction algorithm are 10–20% for the outer scale and 20–40% for the structural characteristic.