Cloud fields over this region appear to be modified by waves emanating from a subtropical jet propagating toward a ridge axis over the southeastern U.S. Soundings transecting the jet from Brownsville, Texas to Grand Junction, Colorado all show one or more thermal inversions in lower troposphere. These bands have the immediate look of propagating waves. The waves in visible imagery look much like those seen in infrared imagery, while water vapor imagery shows only a single wave with warmer blackbody temperature. Wave generation is attributed to imbalance between mass and momentum fields within the exit region of a jet streak approaching a ridge axis. Wave ducting is attributed to specific types of stratification in troposphere including a lower tropospheric thermal inversion.
Stratification can prevent the vertical propagation of wave energy.
Modification of cloud fields over the southwestern U.S. on 1 March 2001 was likely caused by mesoscale wave disturbances. Infrared blackbody temperatures and visible albedos were affected by the waves since cloud top pressures overlapped with thermal inversion pressures. Thermal inversions are found from 600 to 550 mb in the Albuquerque, New Mexico sounding and Grand Junction, Colorado sounding. Water vapor blackbody temperatures were affected by the waves since the emitting layer for Ch. 3 overlapped with the thermal inversions.