HEADLINE: NASA Unveils Shocking Discovery About Atmospheric Gravity Waves Triggered By Hurricane Helene

DAILY ALAYAN.COM -- NOVEMBER 13, 2024

Scientists have made a shocking discovery about atmospheric gravity waves triggered by severe hurricanes, with NASA's Atmospheric Waves Experiment recording ripples in the upper atmosphere of Earth created by the powerful tropical storm that slammed into the Gulf Coast of Florida in September.

The hurricane, Hurricane Helene, created enormous ripples in the mesosphere, roughly 90 kilometres above ground, as it made landfall on the Florida coast. The ripples were detected by NASA's Atmospheric Waves Experiment instrument mounted on the International Space Station (ISS). This finding provides unprecedented insights into how terrestrial weather affects space weather.

According to Ludger Scherliess, principal investigator of the AWE experiment and associate professor at Utah State University in Logan, "The waves from Hurricane Helene are billowing westward from Florida's northwest coast like rings of water spreading from a drop in a pond." The storm's impact on the upper atmosphere was further emphasized when the US media reported over 230 fatalities due to hurricane-related damage worth billions of dollars.

Atmospheric gravity waves, like those detected by NASA, occur when air is disturbed and oscillates. They form when air is forced upward into stable layers and then falls back down, creating a ripple effect in the atmosphere. This occurs with equal force regardless of whether it's triggered by extreme weather events or natural phenomena such as thunderstorms.

Notably, atmospheric gravity waves are distinct from gravitational waves, which result from violent cosmic events like black hole collisions and neutron star mergers. While both types of ripples alter our understanding of Earth and space alike -- with the former occurring at much smaller scales than gravity waves -- each phenomenon provides a unique insight into planetary physics.

The recent discovery underscores the ongoing effort to understand complex dynamics in atmospheric and Earth's interaction systems. NASA continues its work, pushing boundaries through scientific advancement and improving our comprehension of nature's dynamic interactions.

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