Convectively generated gravity waves and their effect on the cloud environment

Abstract

This study uses a two-dimensional cloud-resolving model to examine how convectively generated gravity waves modify the environment of an isolated convective cloud. The model is initialized with an idealized sounding, and the cloud is initiated by adding a locally buoyant perturbation. The modeled convection generates a spectrum of gravity waves with vertical wavelengths that are harmonics of the depth of the troposphere. It is shown that the first three wave modes significantly modify the cloud environment. The modification of the cloud environment is quantified in terms of the convective available potential energy (CAPE) and convective inhibition (CIN). The first two wave modes travel faste..