Gravity waves are vertical movements of air caused by disturbances like mountains or thunderstorms. They resemble waves on water and can cause rotating thunderstorms to spin faster, potentially leading to tornadoes. They should not be confused with gravitational waves in astrophysics.
Gravity waves are wave-like movements of air in the Earth’s atmosphere, caused by gravity. Unlike most air motions, gravitational waves are not horizontal, but rather vertical motions in an air mass. Gravitational waves, in terms of motion, act a bit like waves on the surface of water. Their effects are generally not felt by us, but they can sometimes cause a rotating thunderstorm to spin faster, thus spawning a tornado.
The presence of the word “gravity” in “gravitational waves” can make them seem more complicated than they actually are. Also, they should not be confused with gravitational waves, which are part of the study of astrophysics. The best way to think of a gravitational wave is to imagine a pebble thrown into a pond. The water was stable and calm before, but the rock creates ripples that spread outwards and produce an up and down movement in the water. Gravity waves are essentially the same thing, but occur in air rather than water.
For a gravitational wave to occur, there has to be something that triggers it. Just like rock thrown into a pond, a mountain or thunderstorm can disturb otherwise stable air to create a gravitational wave. One of the visible effects of gravitational waves is a cloud pattern with rows of clouds alternating with spaces of clear air in between. These alternating rows show where the air is rising and where it is sinking due to the wave.
The air surrounding the trigger must be relatively stable to generate a gravitational wave. For example, if a mountain pushes air up as the air passes through it and the air is already unstable, it will continue to rise rather than fall. If a model is not created where the rising air peaks and then falls again, then there is no gravitational wave. When the conditions are right for the creation of gravitational waves, they can have some interesting effects.
Thunderstorms rotate as they move across a landscape, due to the air currents within them. If a gravitational wave makes contact with a thunderstorm, the alternating pressure differences cause the storm to spin faster, becoming stronger. A series of gravitational waves, or even just a strong one, can spin the storm fast enough and become powerful enough to produce tornadoes. Other conditions must also be present in the storm for it to produce a tornado, but gravity waves may be an important part of the recipe.
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