Speaker: Mathieu Ratynski, University of Miami
Title: "TROPOSPHERIC CLOUD DECKS AS A GRAVITY WAVE OBSERVATORY"
Abstract:
High-resolution geostationary satellites frequently reveal internal gravity waves propagating across subtropical stratocumulus cloud decks. In this work, we present a systematic framework to detect and characterize these waves using satellite visible and infrared imagery. A directional Cauchy continuous wavelet transform is applied to identify coherent wave packets across a wide range of wavelengths and propagation directions, while cross-wavelet analysis between successive images provides estimates of wave phase speed and orientation. Initial results over the southeast Pacific reveal multiple wave source regions, including synoptic disturbances, tropical convection, and continental forcing. These observations offer new targets for high-resolution models and demonstrate the potential of long-term satellite records to quantify tropospheric gravity wave activity and its variability across oceanic basins.
Bio:
Dr. Mathieu Ratynski is an atmospheric dynamicist specializing in gravity waves generated by deep convection. His work emphasizes observational approaches, extracting dynamical information from unconventional satellite datasets and high-resolution imagery. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Miami.
In person attendance at this seminar is only open to Columbia University affiliates.
