Expeditions to the Gulf of Carpentaria region of northern Australia in October 1981 and October 1982 to observe the 'morning glory wind surge have yielded an unprecedented amount of data. In this paper we present detailed case studies of the four best documented northeasterly surges. Our investigations shed additional light on the structure and evolution of these spectacular meteorological disturbances and on the characteristics of the environment in which they propagate. They provide also an important data base for future modelling studies. Particular aspects of individual surges highlighted by this work include: the remarkable uniformity of the pre-glory environmental wind structure at locations around the Gulf coast despite the different onset limes at these locations and the different coastal orientations in their neighbourhoods; the apparent absence of a critical level at which the disturbance speed comb Ike wind speed component in the direction of disturbance motion: and the deep layer of cooling a few bourn after the disturbance pamagt observed to be an avenge if several degree, Celsius through a depth of about 2000 m as far west as Burketown in the only event for which such data are available. Even with pilot balloon wind sounding made every live to ten minutes by two double theodolite learns tracking different balloon, it is not possible to determine whether there is a vertical phase tilt of morning glory waves and hence whether or not the waves are trapped or venially radiating. A limited comparison of pressure signatures of disturbances In the directions of propagation and along the propagating front shows clear evidence of evolution but does not fit easily Into the Patterns that have been suggested on theoretical grounds. This may he more a reflection of the limitations of the data than of the applicability of the theory, but it has very delinite Implications For the design of future observational experiments.
Smith et al. (Sat,) studied this question.