Data from: Upper atmosphere heating from ocean-generated acoustic wave energy

Colliding sea surface waves generate the ocean microbarom, an acoustic signal that may transmit significant energy to the upper atmosphere. Previous estimates of acoustic energy flux from the ocean microbarom and mountain/wind interactions are on the order of 0.01 to 1 mW/m2, heating the thermosphere by tens of degrees Kelvin per day. We captured up going ocean microbarom waves with a balloon borne infrasound microphone; the maximum acoustic energy flux was approximately 0.05 mW/m2. This is about half the average value reported in previous ground-based microbarom observations spanning eight years. The acoustic flux from the microbarom episode described here may have heated the thermosphere by several degrees Kelvin per day while the source persisted. We suggest that ocean wave models could be used to parameterize acoustically-generated heating of the upper atmosphere based on sea state.

相互碰撞的海面海浪会产生海洋微气压波（ocean microbarom）——这是一类可将可观能量传输至高层大气的声学信号。此前针对海洋微气压波与山地/风场相互作用产生的声能通量估算值约为0.01~1 mW/m²，可使热层（thermosphere）每日升温数十开尔文。我们借助气球搭载的次声麦克风（infrasound microphone）捕捉到了上行传播的海洋微气压波，其最大声能通量约为0.05 mW/m²。该数值约为此前八年地面微气压波观测研究中报告的平均值的一半。在该微气压波波源持续期间，本次观测事件产生的声能通量或可使热层每日升温数开尔文。我们提出，可基于海况（sea state）利用海浪模型对高层大气的声学加热过程进行参数化建模。