Context:
NASA set to launch Atmospheric Wave Experiment (AWE) mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
Atmospheric Waves Experiment (AWE):
- Launched by – NASA
- Planned under NASA’s Heliophysics Explorers Program
- Aim – To explore the interplay between terrestrial and space weather.
- Objective – To examine airglow (colourful bands of light in Earth’s atmosphere) and to determine what combination of forces drives space weather in the upper atmosphere.
- It will also measure Atmospheric Gravity Waves (AGWs) at mesopause (a region between the mesosphere and thermosphere).
- Significance –
- To understand how gravity waves in the upper atmosphere interact with the jet stream,
- Better understanding of polar vortex and other phenomena
- Improved weather predictions and climate models.
Must Read: Gravitational Waves
Polar Mesospheric Cloud Turbulence (PMC Turbo) mission is a NASA balloon-borne experiment that studies gravity waves and turbulence in polar mesospheric clouds.
What are Atmospheric Gravity Waves?
- There are a wide variety of waves, travelling both horizontally and vertically in the atmosphere.
- AGWs are one such kind of vertical wave which are mostly generated when there is an extreme weather event or a sudden disturbance leading to a vertical displacement of stable air.
- AGWs form as buoyancy lifts air upward, and gravity brings it back down.
- The upward movement encourages cloud formation, while the downward movement promotes clear skies.
- These waves result from various processes like airflow over mountains, convection (e.g., thunderstorms), and frontal systems.
- They serve to connect different parts of the atmosphere, such as a surface storm causing can cause changes in the ionosphere.
What is Space weather?
- Space Weather describes the variations in the space environment between the sun and Earth.
- Sources of space weather – Sun, solar flares, geomagnetic storms, terrestrial weather etc.
- Space weather can affect power grids, radio or satellite-based communication, operations of navigation and Global Positioning Systems (GPS).
Source: Indian Express
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
Statement-I: The temperature contrast between continents and oceans is greater during summer than in winter.
Statement-II: The specific heat of water is more than that of land surface.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2023 Prelims]
(a) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
(b) Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-I
(c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
(d) Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct
Answer: (a)
