Kelvin-Helmholtz waves in the atmosphere form when high-speed wind blows over more stagnant air masses. The waves create turbulence and mix the air masses. New research has shown that similar Kelvin-Helmholtz waves also frequently occur in Earth's magnetosphere and allow particles from the solar wind to enter the magnetosphere to produce oscillations that affect Earth's protective radiation belts.The phenomenon involves ultra low-frequency Kelvin-Helmholtz waves, which are ubiquitous throughout the universe and create the distinctive patterns--from Earth's clouds and ocean surfaces to the atmosphere of Jupiter--but were not thought to be a common mechanism for changing the dynamics of the magnetosphere.

For more details:omicsgroup.org/journals/geophysics-remote-sensing.php

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