In early 2016 equatorward propagating extratropical Rossby waves caused a disruption of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO). In this study we show results from NASA’s Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) satellite instrument for our analysis. Variances in the 4.3μm CO2 band brightness temperature are analysed. Spatial and temporal variations of gravity waves (GW) activity in the middle atmosphere are analysed for different regions in the tropics. Additionally, we use 8µm brightness temperature data from AIRS to control our findings for deep convective activity. Our results show an increase in GW variances during the QBO westerly phase prior the disruption with highest variances found in the pacific region. However, the Latin America region shows more prominent GW activity in January and February 2016. The temporal correlation of this increased GW activity with zonal winds were highest at the 30hPa level.