Gravity Wave Zoo

The atmosphere is full of waves. Sound waves, for example, are easy for our ears to detect, especially if you've ever been to an amusement park with roller coasters. However, some of the most powerful waves in the atmosphere are silent and much harder to detect. These atmospheric waves are known as gravity waves. Gravity waves have become of great interest to scientists because of their important role in energy and momentum transport throughout the atmosphere. They cause drag on background mean winds and generate turbulence when breaking, and perturb densities, temperatures, and winds well into the thermosphere where satellites orbit. If you've ever felt turbulence on a plane, it was most likely the result of gravity waves breaking.