Atmospheric gravity waves can be seen in satellite images taken by Australian weather forecast service Weatherzone on Monday and Tuesday.
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The images show the waves spreading out from the coast of Western Australia, sending ripples through clouds over the Indian Ocean.
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The gravity waves were triggered by thunderstorms, with cold air flowing out from the squalls resulting in a disturbance in the atmosphere.
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“The atmosphere is a big body of gas that acts like a fluid,” said Ben Domensino, a meteorologist at Weatherzone. “It is exactly the mechanism as when a rock is thrown into the water, then the wave travels out from that source.”
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The invisible waves are quite common in the atmosphere, he added. They are typically invisible unless they cause motion in clouds that can be detected by satellites.
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“Thunderstorms, air flowing over mountains and contrasting wind directions — when you’ve got wind from two directions interacting with each other — can also cause gravity waves,” Domensino said.
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The surges do not pose any danger, but pilots should be cautious about “rising and sinking air”, he added.
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The satellite also captured images of a sandstorm blowing over the dry Pilbara region in Western Australia.
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