Articles | Volume 19, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-5251-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-5251-2019
© Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 Apr 2019
Research article |
| 17 Apr 2019
| 17 Apr 2019
Statistical climatology of mid-latitude mesospheric summer echoes characterised by OSWIN (Ostsee-Wind) radar observations
Dimitry Pokhotelov
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics, University of Rostock, Kühlungsborn, Germany
Gunter Stober
Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics, University of Rostock, Kühlungsborn, Germany
Jorge Luis Chau
Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics, University of Rostock, Kühlungsborn, Germany
Related authors
Ales Kuchar, Gunter Stober, Dimitry Pokhotelov, Huixin Liu, Han-Li Liu, Manfred Ern, Damian Murphy, Diego Janches, Tracy Moffat-Griffin, Nicholas Mitchell, and Christoph Jacobi
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2827, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2827, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Annales Geophysicae (ANGEO).
Short summary
Short summary
We studied how the healing of the Antarctic ozone layer is affecting winds high above the South Pole. Using ground-based radar, satellite data, and computer models, we found that winds in the upper atmosphere have become stronger over the past two decades. These changes appear to be linked to shifts in the lower atmosphere caused by ozone recovery. Our results show that human efforts to repair the ozone layer are also influencing climate patterns far above Earth’s surface.
Florian Günzkofer, Gunter Stober, Dimitry Pokhotelov, Yasunobu Miyoshi, and Claudia Borries
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5897–5907, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5897-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5897-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Electric currents in the ionosphere can impact both satellite and ground-based infrastructure. These currents depend strongly on the collisions of ions and neutral particles. Measuring ion–neutral collisions is often only possible via certain assumptions. The direct measurement of ion–neutral collision frequencies is possible with multifrequency incoherent scatter radar measurements. This paper presents one analysis method of such measurements and discusses its advantages and disadvantages.
Florian Günzkofer, Dimitry Pokhotelov, Gunter Stober, Ingrid Mann, Sharon L. Vadas, Erich Becker, Anders Tjulin, Alexander Kozlovsky, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Evgenia Belova, Johan Kero, Nicholas J. Mitchell, and Claudia Borries
Ann. Geophys., 41, 409–428, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-409-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-409-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Gravity waves (GWs) are waves in Earth's atmosphere and can be observed as cloud ripples. Under certain conditions, these waves can propagate up into the ionosphere. Here, they can cause ripples in the ionosphere plasma, observable as oscillations of the plasma density. Therefore, GWs contribute to the ionospheric variability, making them relevant for space weather prediction. Additionally, the behavior of these waves allows us to draw conclusions about the atmosphere at these altitudes.
Dimitry Pokhotelov, Isabel Fernandez-Gomez, and Claudia Borries
Ann. Geophys., 39, 833–847, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-833-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-833-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
During geomagnetic storms, enhanced solar wind and changes in the interplanetary magnetic field lead to ionisation anomalies across the polar regions. The superstorm of 20 November 2003 was one of the largest events in recent history. Numerical simulations of ionospheric dynamics during the storm are compared with plasma observations to understand the mechanisms forming the polar plasma anomalies. The results are important for understanding and forecasting space weather in polar regions.
Gunter Stober, Ales Kuchar, Dimitry Pokhotelov, Huixin Liu, Han-Li Liu, Hauke Schmidt, Christoph Jacobi, Kathrin Baumgarten, Peter Brown, Diego Janches, Damian Murphy, Alexander Kozlovsky, Mark Lester, Evgenia Belova, Johan Kero, and Nicholas Mitchell
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 13855–13902, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13855-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13855-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Little is known about the climate change of wind systems in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere at the edge of space at altitudes from 70–110 km. Meteor radars represent a well-accepted remote sensing technique to measure winds at these altitudes. Here we present a state-of-the-art climatological interhemispheric comparison using continuous and long-lasting observations from worldwide distributed meteor radars from the Arctic to the Antarctic and sophisticated general circulation models.
Ales Kuchar, Gunter Stober, Dimitry Pokhotelov, Huixin Liu, Han-Li Liu, Manfred Ern, Damian Murphy, Diego Janches, Tracy Moffat-Griffin, Nicholas Mitchell, and Christoph Jacobi
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2827, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2827, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Annales Geophysicae (ANGEO).
Short summary
Short summary
We studied how the healing of the Antarctic ozone layer is affecting winds high above the South Pole. Using ground-based radar, satellite data, and computer models, we found that winds in the upper atmosphere have become stronger over the past two decades. These changes appear to be linked to shifts in the lower atmosphere caused by ozone recovery. Our results show that human efforts to repair the ozone layer are also influencing climate patterns far above Earth’s surface.
Arthur Gauthier, Claudia Borries, Alexander Kozlovsky, Diego Janches, Peter Brown, Denis Vida, Christoph Jacobi, Damian Murphy, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Johan Kero, Nicholas Mitchell, Tracy Moffat-Griffin, and Gunter Stober
Ann. Geophys., 43, 427–440, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-43-427-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-43-427-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study focuses on a TIMED Doppler Interferometer (TIDI)–meteor radar (MR) comparison of zonal and meridional winds and their dependence on local time and latitude. The correlation calculation between TIDI wind measurements and MR winds shows good agreement. A TIDI–MR seasonal comparison and analysis of the altitude–latitude dependence for winds are performed. TIDI reproduces the mean circulation well when compared with MRs and may be a useful lower boundary for general circulation models.
Florian Günzkofer, Gunter Stober, Johan Kero, David R. Themens, Anders Tjulin, Njål Gulbrandsen, Masaki Tsutsumi, and Claudia Borries
Ann. Geophys., 43, 331–348, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-43-331-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-43-331-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The Earth’s magnetic field is not closed at high latitudes. Electrically charged particles can penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere, deposit their energy, and heat the local atmosphere–ionosphere. This presumably causes an upwelling of the neutral atmosphere, which affects the atmosphere–ionosphere coupling. We apply a new analysis technique to infer the atmospheric density from incoherent scatter radar measurements. We identify signs of particle precipitation impact on the neutral atmosphere.
Devin Huyghebaert, Juha Vierinen, Björn Gustavsson, Ralph Latteck, Toralf Renkwitz, Marius Zecha, Claudia C. Stephan, J. Federico Conte, Daniel Kastinen, Johan Kero, and Jorge L. Chau
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2323, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2323, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Measurement Techniques (AMT).
Short summary
Short summary
The phenomena of meteors occurs at altitudes of 60–120 km and can be used to measure the neutral atmosphere. We use a large high power radar system in Norway (MAARSY) to determine changes to the atmospheric density between the years of 2016–2023 at altitudes of 85–115 km. The same day-of-year is compared, minimizing changes to the measurements due to factors other than the atmosphere. This presents a novel method by which to obtain atmospheric neutral density variations.
J. Federico Conte, Jorge L. Chau, Toralf Renkwitz, Ralph Latteck, Masaki Tsutsumi, Christoph Jacobi, Njål Gulbrandsen, and Satonori Nozawa
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1996, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1996, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Analysis of 10 years of continuous measurements provided MMARIA/SIMONe Norway and MMARIA/SIMONe Germany reveals that the divergent and vortical motions in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere exchange the dominant role depending on the height and the time of the year. At summer mesopause altitudes over middle latitudes, the horizontal divergence and the relative vorticity contribute approximately the same, indicating an energetic balance between mesoscale divergent and vortical motions.
Christoph Jacobi, Khalil Karami, Ales Kuchar, Manfred Ern, Toralf Renkwitz, Ralph Latteck, and Jorge L. Chau
Adv. Radio Sci., 23, 21–31, https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-23-21-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-23-21-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Half-hourly mean winds have been obtained using ground-based low-frequency and very high frequency radio observations of the mesopause region at Collm, Germany, since 1984. Long-term changes of wind variances, which are proxies for short-period atmospheric gravity waves, have been analysed. Gravity wave amplitudes increase with time in winter, but mainly decrease in summer. The trends are consistent with mean wind changes according to wave theory.
Alistair Bell, Axel Murk, and Gunter Stober
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1396, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1396, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Increases in middle atmospheric water vapour from the 2022 Hunga eruption have been measured worldwide. This study uses remote sensing measurements at two latitudes and accurate radiative transfer modeling to show significant long-wave heating effects. Though minimal at the surface, the water vapour enhancement can alter middle-atmospheric dynamics, potentially affecting ozone chemistry and weather patterns.
Zishun Qiao, Alan Z. Liu, Gunter Stober, Javier Fuentes, Fabio Vargas, Christian L. Adami, and Iain M. Reid
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 1091–1104, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1091-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-1091-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes the installation of the Chilean Observation Network De Meteor Radars (CONDOR) and its initial results. The routine winds are point-to-point comparable to the co-located lidar winds. The retrievals of spatially resolved horizontal wind fields and vertical winds are also facilitated, benefiting from the extensive meteor detections. The successful deployment and maintenance of CONDOR provide 24/7 and state-of-the-art wind measurements to the research community.
Alistair Bell, Eric Sauvageat, Gunter Stober, Klemens Hocke, and Axel Murk
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 18, 555–567, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-555-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-18-555-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Hardware and software developments have been made on a 22 GHz microwave radiometer for the measurement of middle-atmospheric water vapour near Bern, Switzerland. Previous measurements dating back to 2010 have been re-calibrated and an improved optimal estimation retrieval performed on these measurements, giving a 13-year dataset. Measurements made with new and improved instrumental hardware are used to correct previous measurements, which show better agreement than the non-corrected dataset.
Guochun Shi, Hanli Liu, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, Alexander Kozlovsky, Dimitry Pokhotelov, Mark Lester, Kun Wu, and Gunter Stober
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3749, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3749, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
People are increasingly concerned about climate change due to its widespread impacts, including rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and ecosystem disruptions. Addressing these challenges requires urgent global action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to a rapidly changing environment.
Guochun Shi, Witali Krochin, Eric Sauvageat, and Gunter Stober
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 10187–10207, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10187-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-10187-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Here we investigated ozone anomalies over polar regions during sudden stratospheric and final stratospheric warming with ground-based microwave radiometers at polar latitudes compared with reanalysis and satellite data. The underlying dynamical and chemical mechanisms are responsible for the observed ozone anomalies in both events. Our research sheds light on these processes, emphasizing the need for a deeper understanding of these processes for more accurate climate modeling and forecasting.
Witali Krochin, Axel Murk, and Gunter Stober
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 5015–5028, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5015-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5015-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Atmospheric tides are global-scale oscillations with periods of a fraction of a day. Their observation in the middle atmosphere is challenging and rare, as it requires continuous measurements with a high temporal resolution. In this paper, temperature time series of a ground-based microwave radiometer were analyzed with a spectral filter to derive thermal tide amplitudes and phases in an altitude range of 25–50 km at the geographical locations of Payerne and Bern (Switzerland).
Gunter Stober, Sharon L. Vadas, Erich Becker, Alan Liu, Alexander Kozlovsky, Diego Janches, Zishun Qiao, Witali Krochin, Guochun Shi, Wen Yi, Jie Zeng, Peter Brown, Denis Vida, Neil Hindley, Christoph Jacobi, Damian Murphy, Ricardo Buriti, Vania Andrioli, Paulo Batista, John Marino, Scott Palo, Denise Thorsen, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Kathrin Baumgarten, Johan Kero, Evgenia Belova, Nicholas Mitchell, Tracy Moffat-Griffin, and Na Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4851–4873, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4851-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4851-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
On 15 January 2022, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai volcano exploded in a vigorous eruption, causing many atmospheric phenomena reaching from the surface up to space. In this study, we investigate how the mesospheric winds were affected by the volcanogenic gravity waves and estimated their propagation direction and speed. The interplay between model and observations permits us to gain new insights into the vertical coupling through atmospheric gravity waves.
Jennifer Hartisch, Jorge L. Chau, Ralph Latteck, Toralf Renkwitz, and Marius Zecha
Ann. Geophys., 42, 29–43, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-29-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-29-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Scientists are studying the mesosphere and lower thermosphere using radar in northern Norway. They found peculiar events with strong upward and downward air movements, happening frequently (up to 2.5 % per month) from 2015 to 2021. Over 700 such events were noted, lasting around 20 min and expanding the studied layer. A total of 17 % of these events had extreme vertical speeds, showing their unique nature.
Florian Günzkofer, Gunter Stober, Dimitry Pokhotelov, Yasunobu Miyoshi, and Claudia Borries
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5897–5907, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5897-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5897-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Electric currents in the ionosphere can impact both satellite and ground-based infrastructure. These currents depend strongly on the collisions of ions and neutral particles. Measuring ion–neutral collisions is often only possible via certain assumptions. The direct measurement of ion–neutral collision frequencies is possible with multifrequency incoherent scatter radar measurements. This paper presents one analysis method of such measurements and discusses its advantages and disadvantages.
Juliana Jaen, Toralf Renkwitz, Huixin Liu, Christoph Jacobi, Robin Wing, Aleš Kuchař, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, and Jorge L. Chau
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14871–14887, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14871-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14871-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Investigation of winds is important to understand atmospheric dynamics. In the summer mesosphere and lower thermosphere, there are three main wind flows: the mesospheric westward, the mesopause southward (equatorward), and the lower-thermospheric eastward wind. Combining almost 2 decades of measurements from different radars, we study the trend, their interannual oscillations, and the effects of the geomagnetic activity over these wind maxima.
Florian Günzkofer, Dimitry Pokhotelov, Gunter Stober, Ingrid Mann, Sharon L. Vadas, Erich Becker, Anders Tjulin, Alexander Kozlovsky, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Evgenia Belova, Johan Kero, Nicholas J. Mitchell, and Claudia Borries
Ann. Geophys., 41, 409–428, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-409-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-409-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Gravity waves (GWs) are waves in Earth's atmosphere and can be observed as cloud ripples. Under certain conditions, these waves can propagate up into the ionosphere. Here, they can cause ripples in the ionosphere plasma, observable as oscillations of the plasma density. Therefore, GWs contribute to the ionospheric variability, making them relevant for space weather prediction. Additionally, the behavior of these waves allows us to draw conclusions about the atmosphere at these altitudes.
Guochun Shi, Witali Krochin, Eric Sauvageat, and Gunter Stober
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 9137–9159, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9137-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9137-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We present the interannual and climatological behavior of ozone and water vapor from microwave radiometers in the Arctic.
By defining a virtual conjugate latitude station in the Southern Hemisphere, we investigate altitude-dependent interhemispheric differences and estimate the ascent and descent rates of water vapor in both hemispheres. Ozone and water vapor measurements will create a deeper understanding of the evolution of middle atmospheric ozone and water vapor.
Gunter Stober, Alan Liu, Alexander Kozlovsky, Zishun Qiao, Witali Krochin, Guochun Shi, Johan Kero, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Kathrin Baumgarten, Evgenia Belova, and Nicholas Mitchell
Ann. Geophys., 41, 197–208, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-197-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-197-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha‘apai volcanic eruption was one of the most vigorous volcanic explosions in the last centuries. The eruption launched many atmospheric waves traveling around the Earth. In this study, we identify these volcanic waves at the edge of space in the mesosphere/lower-thermosphere, leveraging wind observations conducted with multi-static meteor radars in northern Europe and with the Chilean Observation Network De Meteor Radars (CONDOR).
Gunter Stober, Alan Liu, Alexander Kozlovsky, Zishun Qiao, Ales Kuchar, Christoph Jacobi, Chris Meek, Diego Janches, Guiping Liu, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Evgenia Belova, Johan Kero, and Nicholas Mitchell
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5769–5792, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5769-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5769-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Precise and accurate measurements of vertical winds at the mesosphere and lower thermosphere are rare. Although meteor radars have been used for decades to observe horizontal winds, their ability to derive reliable vertical wind measurements was always questioned. In this article, we provide mathematical concepts to retrieve mathematically and physically consistent solutions, which are compared to the state-of-the-art non-hydrostatic model UA-ICON.
Witali Krochin, Francisco Navas-Guzmán, David Kuhl, Axel Murk, and Gunter Stober
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2231–2249, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2231-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2231-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study leverages atmospheric temperature measurements performed with a ground-based radiometer making use of data that was collected during a 4-year observational campaign applying a new retrieval algorithm that improves the maximal altitude range from 45 to 55 km. The measurements are validated against two independent data sets, MERRA2 reanalysis data and the meteorological analysis of NAVGEM-HA.
Sumanta Sarkhel, Gunter Stober, Jorge L. Chau, Steven M. Smith, Christoph Jacobi, Subarna Mondal, Martin G. Mlynczak, and James M. Russell III
Ann. Geophys., 40, 179–190, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-179-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-179-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
A rare gravity wave event was observed on the night of 25 April 2017 over northern Germany. An all-sky airglow imager recorded an upward-propagating wave at different altitudes in mesosphere with a prominent wave front above 91 km and faintly observed below. Based on wind and satellite-borne temperature profiles close to the event location, we have found the presence of a leaky thermal duct layer in 85–91 km. The appearance of this duct layer caused the wave amplitudes to diminish below 91 km.
Juliana Jaen, Toralf Renkwitz, Jorge L. Chau, Maosheng He, Peter Hoffmann, Yosuke Yamazaki, Christoph Jacobi, Masaki Tsutsumi, Vivien Matthias, and Chris Hall
Ann. Geophys., 40, 23–35, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-23-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-23-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
To study long-term trends in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (70–100 km), we established two summer length definitions and analyzed the variability over the years (2004–2020). After the analysis, we found significant trends in the summer beginning of one definition. Furthermore, we were able to extend one of the time series up to 31 years and obtained evidence of non-uniform trends and periodicities similar to those known for the quasi-biennial oscillation and El Niño–Southern Oscillation.
Christoph Jacobi, Friederike Lilienthal, Dmitry Korotyshkin, Evgeny Merzlyakov, and Gunter Stober
Adv. Radio Sci., 19, 185–193, https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-19-185-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-19-185-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We compare winds and tidal amplitudes in the upper mesosphere/lower thermosphere region for cases with disturbed and undisturbed geomagnetic conditions. The zonal winds in both the mesosphere and lower thermosphere tend to be weaker during disturbed conditions. The summer equatorward meridional wind jet is weaker for disturbed geomagnetic conditions. The effect of geomagnetic variability on tidal amplitudes, except for the semidiurnal tide, is relatively small.
Ryan Volz, Jorge L. Chau, Philip J. Erickson, Juha P. Vierinen, J. Miguel Urco, and Matthias Clahsen
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 7199–7219, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7199-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-7199-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We introduce a new way of estimating winds in the upper atmosphere (about 80 to 100 km in altitude) from the observed Doppler shift of meteor trails using a statistical method called Gaussian process regression. Wind estimates and, critically, the uncertainty of those estimates can be evaluated smoothly (i.e., not gridded) in space and time. The effective resolution is set by provided parameters, which are limited in practice by the number density of the observed meteors.
Gunter Stober, Alexander Kozlovsky, Alan Liu, Zishun Qiao, Masaki Tsutsumi, Chris Hall, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Evgenia Belova, Johan Kero, Patrick J. Espy, Robert E. Hibbins, and Nicholas Mitchell
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6509–6532, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6509-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6509-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Wind observations at the edge to space, 70–110 km altitude, are challenging. Meteor radars have become a widely used instrument to obtain mean wind profiles above an instrument for these heights. We describe an advanced mathematical concept and present a tomographic analysis using several meteor radars located in Finland, Sweden and Norway, as well as Chile, to derive the three-dimensional flow field. We show an example of a gravity wave decelerating the mean flow.
Dimitry Pokhotelov, Isabel Fernandez-Gomez, and Claudia Borries
Ann. Geophys., 39, 833–847, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-833-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-833-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
During geomagnetic storms, enhanced solar wind and changes in the interplanetary magnetic field lead to ionisation anomalies across the polar regions. The superstorm of 20 November 2003 was one of the largest events in recent history. Numerical simulations of ionospheric dynamics during the storm are compared with plasma observations to understand the mechanisms forming the polar plasma anomalies. The results are important for understanding and forecasting space weather in polar regions.
Gunter Stober, Ales Kuchar, Dimitry Pokhotelov, Huixin Liu, Han-Li Liu, Hauke Schmidt, Christoph Jacobi, Kathrin Baumgarten, Peter Brown, Diego Janches, Damian Murphy, Alexander Kozlovsky, Mark Lester, Evgenia Belova, Johan Kero, and Nicholas Mitchell
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 13855–13902, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13855-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13855-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Little is known about the climate change of wind systems in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere at the edge of space at altitudes from 70–110 km. Meteor radars represent a well-accepted remote sensing technique to measure winds at these altitudes. Here we present a state-of-the-art climatological interhemispheric comparison using continuous and long-lasting observations from worldwide distributed meteor radars from the Arctic to the Antarctic and sophisticated general circulation models.
Fabio Vargas, Jorge L. Chau, Harikrishnan Charuvil Asokan, and Michael Gerding
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 13631–13654, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13631-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13631-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We study large- and small-scale gravity wave cases observed in both airglow imagery and meteor radar data obtained during the SIMONe campaign carried out in early November 2018. We calculate the intrinsic features of several waves and estimate their impact in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere region via transferring energy and momentum to the atmosphere. We also associate cases of large-scale waves with secondary wave generation in the stratosphere.
Johann Stamm, Juha Vierinen, Juan M. Urco, Björn Gustavsson, and Jorge L. Chau
Ann. Geophys., 39, 119–134, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-119-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-119-2021, 2021
Gunter Stober, Diego Janches, Vivien Matthias, Dave Fritts, John Marino, Tracy Moffat-Griffin, Kathrin Baumgarten, Wonseok Lee, Damian Murphy, Yong Ha Kim, Nicholas Mitchell, and Scott Palo
Ann. Geophys., 39, 1–29, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-1-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-1-2021, 2021
Harikrishnan Charuvil Asokan, Jorge L. Chau, Raffaele Marino, Juha Vierinen, Fabio Vargas, Juan Miguel Urco, Matthias Clahsen, and Christoph Jacobi
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2020-974, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2020-974, 2020
Preprint withdrawn
Short summary
Short summary
This paper explores the dynamics of gravity waves and turbulence present in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region. We utilized two different techniques on meteor radar observations and simulations to obtain power spectra at different horizontal scales. The techniques are applied to a special campaign conducted in northern Germany in November 2018. The study revealed the dominance of large-scale structures with horizontal scales larger than 500 km during the campaign period.
Gunter Stober, Kathrin Baumgarten, John P. McCormack, Peter Brown, and Jerry Czarnecki
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11979–12010, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11979-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11979-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents a first cross-comparison of meteor ground-based observations and a meteorological analysis (NAVGEM-HA) to compare a seasonal climatology of winds and temperatures at the mesosphere/lower thermosphere. The validation is insofar unique as we not only compare the mean state but also provide a detailed comparison of the short time variability of atmospheric tidal waves. Our analysis questions previous results claiming the importance of lunar tides.
Leonie Bernet, Elmar Brockmann, Thomas von Clarmann, Niklaus Kämpfer, Emmanuel Mahieu, Christian Mätzler, Gunter Stober, and Klemens Hocke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11223–11244, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11223-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11223-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
With global warming, water vapour increases in the atmosphere. Water vapour is an important gas because it is a natural greenhouse gas and affects the formation of clouds, rain and snow. How much water vapour increases can vary in different regions of the world. To verify if it increases as expected on a regional scale, we analysed water vapour measurements in Switzerland. We found that water vapour generally increases as expected from temperature changes, except in winter.
Franziska Schranz, Jonas Hagen, Gunter Stober, Klemens Hocke, Axel Murk, and Niklaus Kämpfer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 10791–10806, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-10791-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-10791-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We measured middle-atmospheric ozone, water vapour and zonal and meridional wind with two ground-based microwave radiometers which are located at Ny-Alesund, Svalbard, in the Arctic. In this article we present measurements of the small-scale horizontal ozone gradients during winter 2018/2019. We found a distinct seasonal variation of the ozone gradients which is linked to the planetary wave activity. We further present the signatures of the SSW in the ozone, water vapour and wind measurements.
Cited articles
Barabash, V., Kirkwood, S., Feofilov, A., and Kutepov, A.: Polar mesosphere summer echoes during the July 2000 solar protonevent, Ann. Geophys., 22, 759–771, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-22-759-2004, 2004. a
Bothmer, V. and Daglis, I. A.: Space Weather – Physics and Effects,
Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 438 pp., ISBN 978-3-540-23907-9, 2007. a
Bremer, J., Hoffmann, P., Höffner, J., Latteck, R., Singer, W.,
Zecha, M., and Zeller, O.: Long-term changes of mesospheric summer
echoes at polar and middle latitudes, Journal of Atmospheric and
Solar-Terrestrial Physics, 68, 1940–1951, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2006.02.012,
2006. a, b, c, d, e, f, g
Bremer, J., Hoffmann, P., Latteck, R., Singer, W., and Zecha, M.:
Long-term changes of (polar) mesosphere summer echoes, Journal of
Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, 71, 1571–1576,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2009.03.010, 2009. a
Chau, J. L. and Kudeki, E.: First E- and D-region incoherent scatter spectra
observed over Jicamarca, Ann. Geophys., 24, 1295–1303,
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-24-1295-2006, 2006. a
Chau, J. L., Röttger, J., and Rapp, M.: PMSE strength during
enhanced D region electron densities: Faraday rotation and absorption effects
at VHF frequencies, J. Atmos. So.-Terr. Phys.,
118, 113–118, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2013.06.015, 2014. a
Czechowsky, P., Ruester, R., and Schmidt, G.: Variations of
mesospheric
structures in different seasons, Geophys. Res. Lett., 6, 459–462,
https://doi.org/10.1029/GL006i006p00459, 1979. a
Ecklund, W. L. and Balsley, B. B.: Long-term observations of the Arctic
mesosphere with the MST radar at Poker Flat, Alaska, J. Geophys.
Res., 86, 7775–7780, https://doi.org/10.1029/JA086iA09p07775, 1981. a
Gerding, M., Zöllner, J., Zecha, M., Baumgarten, K., Höffner, J., Stober,
G., and Lübken, F.-J.: Simultaneous observations of NLCs and MSEs at
midlatitudes: implications for formation and advection of ice particles,
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 15569–15580,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15569-2018, 2018. a, b, c
Gonzalez, W. D., Joselyn, J. A., Kamide, Y., Kroehl, H. W.,
Rostoker,
G., Tsurutani, B. T., and Vasyliunas, V. M.: What is a geomagnetic
storm?, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 5771–5792,
https://doi.org/10.1029/93JA02867, 1994. a
Hervig, M. E., Gerding, M., Stevens, M. H., Stockwell, R., Bailey,
S. M., Russell, J. M., and Stober, G.: Mid-latitude mesospheric clouds
and their environment from SOFIE observations, J. Atmos.
Sol.-Terr. Phys., 149, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2016.09.004,
2016. a
Kiliani, J., Baumgarten, G., Lübken, F. J., Berger, U., and
Hoffmann, P.: Temporal and spatial characteristics of the formation of
strong noctilucent clouds, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr.
Phys., 104, 151–166, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2013.01.005, 2013. a
King, J. H. and Papitashvili, N. E.: Solar wind spatial scales in and
comparisons of hourly Wind and ACE plasma and magnetic field data, J. Geophys. Res., 110, A02104,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JA010649, 2005. a
Kudeki, E., Bhattacharyya, S., and Woodman, R. F.: A new approach in
incoherent
scatter F region E × B drift measurements at Jicamarca,
J. Geophys. Res., 104, 28145–28162,
https://doi.org/10.1029/1998JA900110, 1999. a
Latteck, R., Singer, W., and Höffner, J.: Mesosphere summer echoes
as observed by VHF radar at Kühlungsborn (54∘ N),
Geophys.
Res. Lett., 26, 1533–1536, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999GL900225, 1999. a
Mathie, R. A. and Mann, I. R.: On the solar wind control of Pc5 ULF
pulsation power at mid-latitudes: Implications for MeV electron acceleration
in the outer radiation belt, J. Geophys. Res., 106,
29783–29796, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JA000002, 2001. a
Meredith, N. P., Horne, R. B., Lam, M. M., Denton, M. H., Borovsky,
J. E., and Green, J. C.: Energetic electron precipitation during
high-speed solar wind stream driven storms, J. Geophys. Res., 116, A05223, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JA016293, 2011. a
Morris, R. J., Murphy, D. J., Klekociuk, A. R., and Holdsworth,
D. A.:
First complete season of PMSE observations above Davis, Antarctica, and
their relation to winds and temperatures, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34,
L05805, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL028641, 2007. a
NASA: OMNIWeb, available at: http://omniweb.gsfc.nasa.gov, last access:
15 April 2019. a
Nussbaumer, V., Fricke, K. H., Langer, M., Singer, W., and von
Zahn,
U.: First simultaneous and common volume observations of noctilucent clouds
and polar mesosphere summer echoes by lidar and radar, J.
Geophys. Res., 101, 19161–19168, https://doi.org/10.1029/96JD01213, 1996. a
Rapp, M. and Lübken, F.-J.: Polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE): Review
of observations and current understanding, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 4, 2601–2633,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-4-2601-2004, 2004. a, b, c
Rapp, M., Gumbel, J., Lübken, F. J., and Latteck, R.: D region
electron number density limits for the existence of polar mesosphere summer
echoes, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 107, 4187,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JD001323, 2002. a
Reid, I. M., Czechowsky, P., Ruester, R., and Schmidt, G.: First VHF
radar measurements of mesopause summer echoes at mid-latitudes, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 16, 135–138, https://doi.org/10.1029/GL016i002p00135, 1989. a
Sheth, R., Kudeki, E., Lehmacher, G., Sarango, M., Woodman, R., Chau, J.,
Guo, L., and Reyes, P.: A high-resolution study of mesospheric fine structure
with the Jicamarca MST radar, Ann. Geophys., 24, 1281–1293,
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-24-1281-2006, 2006. a
Stober, G., Matthias, V., Jacobi, C., Wilhelm, S., Höffner, J., and Chau,
J. L.: Exceptionally strong summer-like zonal wind reversal in the upper
mesosphere during winter 2015/16, Ann. Geophys., 35, 711–720,
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-711-2017, 2017. a, b, c
Stober, G., Sommer, S., Schult, C., Latteck, R., and Chau, J. L.: Observation
of Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities and gravity waves in the summer mesopause
above Andenes in Northern Norway, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 6721–6732,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6721-2018, 2018. a, b
Thomas, L., Astin, I., and Prichard, I. T.: The characteristics of VHF
echoes from the summer mesopause region at mid-latitudes, J.
Atmos. Terr. Phys., 54, 969–977,
https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9169(92)90063-Q, 1992. a
Thomas, L., Marsh, A. K. P., Wareing, D. P., Astin, I., and
Chandra,
H.: VHF echoes from the midlatitude mesosphere and the thermal structure
observed by lidar, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 12867–12877,
https://doi.org/10.1029/96JD00218, 1996. a
Tsurutani, B. T., Gonzalez, W. D., Gonzalez, A. L. C., Guarnieri,
F. L., Gopalswamy, N., Grande, M., Kamide, Y., Kasahara, Y., Lu,
G., Mann, I., McPherron, R., Soraas, F., and Vasyliunas, V.:
Corotating solar wind streams and recurrent geomagnetic activity: A review,
J. Geophys. Res., 111, A07S01,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JA011273, 2006. a, b
Turunen, E., Verronen, P. T., Seppälä, A., Rodger, C. J.,
Clilverd, M. A., Tamminen, J., Enell, C.-F., and Ulich, T.: Impact
of different energies of precipitating particles on NOx generation in
the middle and upper atmosphere during geomagnetic storms, J.
Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., 71, 1176–1189,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2008.07.005, 2009.
a
Zecha, M., Bremer, J., Latteck, R., Singer, W., and Hoffmann, P.:
Properties of midlatitude mesosphere summer echoes after three seasons of
VHF radar observations at 54∘ N, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 108, 8439, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JD002442, 2003. a, b
Zeller, O. and Bremer, J.: The influence of geomagnetic activity on
mesospheric summer echoes in middle and polar latitudes, Ann. Geophys., 27,
831–837, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-27-831-2009, 2009. a, b
Zeller, O., Hoffmann, P., Bremer, J., and Singer, W.: Mesosphere
summer echoes, temperature, and meridional wind variations at mid- and polar
latitudes, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., 71,
931–942, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2009.03.013, 2009. a, b, c
Short summary
Twelve years of radar observations from a mid-latitude location in Kühlungsborn, Germany have been analysed to study characteristics of mesospheric summer echoes (MSEs). The statistical analysis shows that MSEs have a strong daytime preference and early summer seasonal preference. It is demonstrated that the meridional wind transport from polar regions is the important controlling factor for MSEs, while no clear connection to geomagnetic and solar activity is found.
Twelve years of radar observations from a mid-latitude location in Kühlungsborn, Germany have...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint