The Origin and Structure of Easterly Waves in the Lower Troposphere of North Africa

This study investigates the origin and structure of easterly waves that form in the lower troposphere of North Africa and have a periodicity of 3–5 days,. From June to early October these waves propagate across the Atlantic and occasionally reach the eastern Pacific. Although only a few of these disturbances actually intensify after reaching the Atlantic, they account for approximately half of the tropical cyclones that form in the Atlantic. Spectral analysis of five years of upper air data shows that African waves produce a spectral peak of the meridional wind at periods of 3–5 days with a maximum amplitude of 1–2 m sec−1 near 700 mb. These waves normally originate between Khartoum (32E) and Ft. Lamy (I5E) and affect a greater depth of the atmosphere as they propagate westward. Wind statistics at stations flanking the mountains in Ethiopia indicate that airflow over these mountains is not the cause of the easterly waves. This study shows that the African waves are directly related to the mid-tropospheric easterly jet that is found within the baroclinic zone to the south of the Sahara. During the same season that the waves are observed, the gradient of the monthly mean potential vorticity vanishes along the isentropic surfaces. Charney and Stem have shown that this is a necessary condition for instability of the jet provided that the amplitude of the waves is negligible at the ground. Results show that the horizontal and vertical shear of the mean zonal wind are acting as nearly equal sources of energy for the perturbations. The role of convection in the origin of these waves has not yet been determined.