Articles | Volume 19, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-5259-2019
© 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-19-5259-2019
© 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
Mesospheric anomalous diffusion during noctilucent cloud scenarios
Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Kühlungsborn, Germany
Gunter Stober
Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Kühlungsborn, Germany
Jens Fiedler
Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Kühlungsborn, Germany
Meers M. Oppenheim
Center for Space Physics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts,
USA
Jorge L. Chau
Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Kühlungsborn, Germany
Duggirala Pallamraju
Physical Research
Laboratory, Ahmedabad, India
Nicholas M. Pedatella
National Center for Atmospheric
Research, High Altitude Observatory, Boulder, Colorado, USA
Masaki Tsutsumi
National Institute of Polar Research, Tokyo, Japan
Department of Polar Science, SOKENDAI (Graduate University for
Advanced Studies), Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan
Toralf Renkwitz
Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Kühlungsborn, Germany
Related authors
J. Federico Conte, Jorge L. Chau, Fazlul I. Laskar, Gunter Stober, Hauke Schmidt, and Peter Brown
Ann. Geophys., 36, 999–1008, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-999-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-999-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Based on comparisons of meteor radar measurements with HAMMONIA model simulations, we show that the differences exhibited by the semidiurnal solar tide (S2) observed at middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere between equinox times are mainly due to distinct behaviors of the migrating semidiurnal (SW2) and the non-migrating westward-propagating wave number 1 semidiurnal (SW1) tidal components.
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.
Jens Fiedler, Gerd Baumgarten, Michael Gerding, Torsten Köpnick, Reik Ostermann, and Bernd Kaifler
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1995, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1995, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Geoscientific Instrumentation, Methods and Data Systems (GI).
Short summary
Short summary
We developed a system for frequency control and monitoring of pulsed high-power lasers. It works in real-time, controls the laser cavity length, and performs a spectral analyzes of each individual laser pulse. The motivation for this work was to improve the retrieval of Doppler winds measured by lidar in the middle atmosphere by taking the frequency stability of the lidar transmitter into account.
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
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Annales Geophysicae (ANGEO).
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.
Jens Fiedler and Gerd Baumgarten
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 5841–5859, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5841-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5841-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This article describes the current status of a lidar installed at ALOMAR in northern Norway. It has investigated the Arctic middle atmosphere on a climatological basis for 30 years. We discuss major upgrades of the system implemented during recent years, including methods for reliable remote operation of this complex lidar. We also show examples that illustrate the performance of the lidar during measurements at different altitude ranges and timescales.
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).
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. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-2024-13, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-2024-13, 2024
Revised manuscript accepted for ANGEO
Short summary
Short summary
This study focuses on the 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 winds measurements and MR winds shows good agreement. A TIDI-MR seasonal comparison and the altitude-latitude dependence for winds is performed. TIDI reproduce the mean circulation well when compared with the MRs and might be useful as a lower boundary for general circulation models.
Michael Gerding, Robin Wing, Eframir Franco-Diaz, Gerd Baumgarten, Jens Fiedler, Torsten Köpnick, and Reik Ostermann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2789–2809, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2789-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2789-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes a new lidar system developed in Germany intended to study wind and temperature at night in the middle atmosphere. The paper explains how we have set up the system to work automatically and gives technical details for anyone who wants to build a similar system. We present a case study showing temperatures and winds at different altitudes. In a future article, we will present how we process the data and deal with uncertainties.
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.
Phoebe Noble, Neil Hindley, Corwin Wright, Chihoko Cullens, Scott England, Nicholas Pedatella, Nicholas Mitchell, and Tracy Moffat-Griffin
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2022-150, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2022-150, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
We use long term radar data and the WACCM-X model to study the impact of dynamical phenomena, including the 11-year solar cycle, ENSO, QBO and SAM, on Antarctic mesospheric winds. We find that in summer, the zonal wind (both observationally and in the model) is strongly correlated with the solar cycle. We also see important differences in the results from the other processes. In addition we find important and large biases in the winter model zonal winds relative to the observations.
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.
John P. McCormack, V. Lynn Harvey, Cora E. Randall, Nicholas Pedatella, Dai Koshin, Kaoru Sato, Lawrence Coy, Shingo Watanabe, Fabrizio Sassi, and Laura A. Holt
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17577–17605, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17577-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17577-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In order to have confidence in atmospheric predictions, it is important to know how well different numerical model simulations of the Earth’s atmosphere agree with one another. This work compares four different data assimilation models that extend to or beyond the mesosphere. Results shown here demonstrate that while the models are in close agreement below ~50 km, large differences arise at higher altitudes in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere that will need to be reconciled in the future.
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.
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.
Joel P. Younger, Iain M. Reid, Chris L. Adami, Chris M. Hall, and Masaki Tsutsumi
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 5015–5027, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5015-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-5015-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A radar in Svalbard usually used to study meteor trails was used to observe a thin icy layer in the upper atmosphere. New methods used the layer to measure wind speed over short periods of time and found that the layer is most reflective within 6.8 ± 3.3° of vertical. Analysis of meteor trail radar echo durations found that the layer may shorten meteor trail echoes, but more data are needed. This study shows new uses for data collected by meteor radars for other purposes.
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.
Jonas Hagen, Klemens Hocke, Gunter Stober, Simon Pfreundschuh, Axel Murk, and Niklaus Kämpfer
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 2367–2386, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2367-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-2367-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The middle atmosphere (30 to 70 km altitude) is stratified and, despite very strong horizontal winds, there is less mixing between the horizontal layers. An important driver for the energy exchange between the layers in this regime is atmospheric tides, which are waves that are driven by the diurnal cycle of solar heating. We measure these tides in the wind field for the first time using a ground-based passive instrument. Ultimately, such measurements could be used to improve atmospheric models.
Sven Wilhelm, Gunter Stober, and Peter Brown
Ann. Geophys., 37, 851–875, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-37-851-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-37-851-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We report on long-term observations of atmospheric parameters in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere made over the last 2 decades for the northern-latitude locations of Andenes, Juliusruh, and Tavistock. The observations are based on meteor wind measurements and further include the long-term variability of winds, tides, and the kinetic energy of gravity waves and planetary waves. Furthermore, the influence on an 11-year oscillation on the winds and tides is presented.
Ralph Latteck, Toralf Renkwitz, and Boris Strelnikov
Adv. Radio Sci., 17, 225–237, https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-17-225-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-17-225-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
In April 2018 the PMWE1 sounding rocket campaign was conducted at the Andøya Space Center involving coordinated measurements with rockets and ground instruments to measure parameters relevant for testing of the existing theories of PMWE formation. The Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) was operated to detect PMWE with multiple beam directions. The Saura MF radar was operated with a multiple beam experiment to derive horizontal winds and electron density profiles.
Arvid Langenbach, Gerd Baumgarten, Jens Fiedler, Franz-Josef Lübken, Christian von Savigny, and Jacob Zalach
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 4065–4076, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-4065-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-4065-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Stratospheric aerosol backscatter ratios in the Arctic using Rayleigh, Mie and Raman backscattered signals were calculated. A backscatter ratio calculation during daytime was performed for the first time. Sharp aerosol layers thinner than 1 km over several days were observed. The seasonal cycle of stratospheric background aerosol in high latitudes including the summer months was calculated for the first time. Top altitude of the aerosol layer was found to reach up to 34 km, especially in summer.
Kathrin Baumgarten and Gunter Stober
Ann. Geophys., 37, 581–602, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-37-581-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-37-581-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The paper presents the variability in thermal tides in the middle atmosphere from temperature observations as well as from horizontal wind data using a new diagnostic approach which takes into account a possible intermittency of tides. The data are analyzed from a local as well as from a global perspective to distinguish between different tidal modes. Surprisingly, there are dominating tidal modes, which are seen in the local data, and a phase relation between temperature and winds is evaluated.
Wen Yi, Xianghui Xue, Iain M. Reid, Damian J. Murphy, Chris M. Hall, Masaki Tsutsumi, Baiqi Ning, Guozhu Li, Robert A. Vincent, Jinsong Chen, Jianfei Wu, Tingdi Chen, and Xiankang Dou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 7567–7581, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-7567-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-7567-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The seasonal variations in the mesopause densities, especially with regard to its global structure, are still unclear. In this study, we report the climatology of the mesopause density estimated using multiyear observations from nine meteor radars from Arctic to Antarctic latitudes. The results reveal a significant AO and SAO in mesopause density, an asymmetry between the two polar regions and evidence of intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs), perhaps associated with the ISOs of the troposphere.
Maosheng He and Jorge Luis Chau
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 5993–6006, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-5993-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-5993-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We propose an approach to resolve waves with multiple spatial scales at a given frequency using ground-based detectors from few longitudinal sectors. The approach is used to investigate near-12 h waves. Results suggest that broadly reported enhancements of two solar nonmigrating tides during sudden stratospheric warming events are just low-frequency-resolved signatures of two neighboring waves. The tides do not enhance.
Dimitry Pokhotelov, Gunter Stober, and Jorge Luis Chau
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 5251–5258, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-5251-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-5251-2019, 2019
Short summary
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.
Klemens Hocke, Huixin Liu, Nicholas Pedatella, and Guanyi Ma
Ann. Geophys., 37, 235–242, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-37-235-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-37-235-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The GPS radio occultation data of the COSMIC-FORMOSAT-3 mission are used to visualize the global distribution of ionospheric irregularities in the F2 region during a geomagnetic storm, at solar minimum, and at solar maximum.
Uwe Berger, Gerd Baumgarten, Jens Fiedler, and Franz-Josef Lübken
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 4685–4702, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4685-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4685-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper we present a new description of statistical probability density functions (pdfs) of polar mesospheric clouds (PMC). We derive a new class of pdfs that describes successfully the probability statistic of ALOMAR lidar observations of different ice parameters. As a main advantage the new method allows us to connect different observational PMC distributions of lidar and satellite data, and also to compare with distributions from ice model studies.
Jorge Luis Chau, Juan Miguel Urco, Juha Pekka Vierinen, Ryan Andrew Volz, Matthias Clahsen, Nico Pfeffer, and Jörg Trautner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 2113–2127, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-2113-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-2113-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
New systems to study the mesosphere are introduced. They result from the reengineering of previous systems, by making use of MIMO, spread-spectrum and compressed-sensing techniques that are widely used in telecommunications. The interferometer configuration is now implemented in transmission, making the location of meteor echoes possible with just one antenna on reception. Our novel concept makes the study of a mesosphere volume from different viewing points on the ground feasible and easy.
Nikoloz Gudadze, Gunter Stober, and Jorge L. Chau
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 4485–4497, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4485-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-4485-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We show a possibility of measuring mean vertical winds during the summer months using polar mesosphere summer echo (PMSE) observations. Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System observations of PMSE five-beam radial velocities are analysed to obtain the results. We found that sampling issues are the reason for bias in vertical wind measurements at the edges of PMSE altitudes. However, the PMSE is a good tracer for the mean vertical wind estimation at the central altitudes with its peak occurrence.
Juan Miguel Urco, Jorge Luis Chau, Tobias Weber, and Ralph Latteck
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 12, 955–969, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-955-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-12-955-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
For decades, radar observations have been used to study complicated atmospheric dynamics. Previous observations of the mesosphere, between 80 and 90 km altitude, over polar regions have been limited to a spatial resolution of a few kilometers. In this work, we present a technique which allows 3-D radar observations of the mesospheric dynamics, with an unprecedented spatial resolution of ~ 900 m. We combine the concept of MIMO and high-resolution algorithms to improve the spatial resolution.
Sven Wilhelm, Gunter Stober, Vivien Matthias, Christoph Jacobi, and Damian J. Murphy
Ann. Geophys., 37, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-37-1-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-37-1-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study shows that the mesospheric winds are affected by an expansion–shrinking of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere that takes place due to changes in the intensity of the solar radiation, which affects the density within the atmosphere. On seasonal timescales, an increase in the neutral density occurs together with a decrease in the eastward-directed zonal wind. Further, even after removing the seasonal and the 11-year solar cycle variations, we show a connection between them.
Tarique A. Siddiqui, Astrid Maute, Nick Pedatella, Yosuke Yamazaki, Hermann Lühr, and Claudia Stolle
Ann. Geophys., 36, 1545–1562, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-1545-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-1545-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Extreme meteorological events such as SSWs induce variabilities in the ionosphere by modulating the atmospheric tides, and these variabilities can be comparable to a moderate geomagnetic storm. The equatorial electrojet (EEJ) is a narrow ribbon of current flowing over the dip equator in the ionosphere and is particularly sensitive to tidal changes. In this study, we use ground-magnetic measurements to investigate the semidiurnal solar and lunar tidal variabilities of the EEJ during SSWs.
Jens Fiedler and Gerd Baumgarten
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 16051–16061, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-16051-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-16051-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Ice particles of noctilucent clouds (NLCs) are used as a tracer to investigate tidal signatures in the altitude range from 80 to 90 km. For the first time solar and lunar tidal parameters in NLCs were determined simultaneously from the same data set. Solar variations are dominated by diurnal and semidiurnal tidal components. For NLC occurrence the lunar semidiurnal amplitude is approx. 50 % of the solar semidiurnal amplitude. Phases of solar components indicate upward propagating tides.
Michael Gerding, Jochen Zöllner, Marius Zecha, Kathrin Baumgarten, Josef Höffner, Gunter Stober, and Franz-Josef Lübken
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 15569–15580, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15569-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-15569-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We describe the first comparative study of noctilucent clouds (NLCs) and mesospheric summer echoes at midlatitudes. Therefore, this study compares fresh clouds (small particles) with fully evolved clouds in the mesosphere, hinting at their evolution. It is shown that, in contrast to higher latitudes, here only a thin layer of fresh particles exist above the NLCs. This gives evidence that NLCs are not formed locally but are typically advected. This needs to be acknowledged in trend studies.
Gunter Stober, Jorge L. Chau, Juha Vierinen, Christoph Jacobi, and Sven Wilhelm
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 4891–4907, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-4891-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-4891-2018, 2018
J. Federico Conte, Jorge L. Chau, Fazlul I. Laskar, Gunter Stober, Hauke Schmidt, and Peter Brown
Ann. Geophys., 36, 999–1008, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-999-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-999-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Based on comparisons of meteor radar measurements with HAMMONIA model simulations, we show that the differences exhibited by the semidiurnal solar tide (S2) observed at middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere between equinox times are mainly due to distinct behaviors of the migrating semidiurnal (SW2) and the non-migrating westward-propagating wave number 1 semidiurnal (SW1) tidal components.
Jorge L. Chau, Derek McKay, Juha P. Vierinen, Cesar La Hoz, Thomas Ulich, Markku Lehtinen, and Ralph Latteck
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 9547–9560, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9547-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-9547-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Combining a phased-array power radar and a phased-array radio telescope, we have been able to identify and characterized horizontal structures and movement of noctilucent clouds, but at 3 m scales instead of optical scales. As a byproduct of our observations, we have studied their angular dependence. We show a new alternative to study these clouds on routine basis and therefore study the atmospheric dynamics that modulate them.
Francie Schmidt, Gerd Baumgarten, Uwe Berger, Jens Fiedler, and Franz-Josef Lübken
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 8893–8908, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8893-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-8893-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Local time variations of polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) in the Northern Hemisphere are studied using a combination of a global circulation model and a microphysical model. We investigate the brightness, altitude, and occurrence of the clouds and find a good agreement between model and observations. The variations are caused by tidal structures in background parameters. The temperature varies by about 2 K and water vapor by about 3 ppmv at the altitude of ice particle sublimation near 81.5 km.
Dimitry Pokhotelov, Erich Becker, Gunter Stober, and Jorge L. Chau
Ann. Geophys., 36, 825–830, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-825-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-825-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Atmospheric tides are produced by solar heating of the lower atmosphere. The tides propagate to the upper atmosphere and ionosphere playing an important role in the vertical coupling. Ground radar measurements of the seasonal variability of tides are compared with global numerical simulations. The agreement with radar data and limitations of the numerical model are discussed. The work represents a first step in modelling the impact of tidal dynamics on the upper atmosphere and ionosphere.
Sabine Wüst, Thomas Offenwanger, Carsten Schmidt, Michael Bittner, Christoph Jacobi, Gunter Stober, Jeng-Hwa Yee, Martin G. Mlynczak, and James M. Russell III
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 2937–2947, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-2937-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-2937-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
OH*-spectrometer measurements allow the analysis of gravity wave ground-based periods, but spatial information cannot necessarily be deduced. We combine the approach of Wachter at al. (2015) in order to derive horizontal wavelengths (but based on only one OH* spectrometer) with additional information about wind and temperature and compute vertical wavelengths. Knowledge of these parameters is a precondition for the calculation of further information such as the wave group velocity.
Gunter Stober, Svenja Sommer, Carsten Schult, Ralph Latteck, and Jorge L. Chau
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 6721–6732, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6721-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-6721-2018, 2018
Rolf Rüfenacht, Gerd Baumgarten, Jens Hildebrand, Franziska Schranz, Vivien Matthias, Gunter Stober, Franz-Josef Lübken, and Niklaus Kämpfer
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 11, 1971–1987, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-1971-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-1971-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Wind information throughout the middle-atmosphere is crucial for the understanding of atmospheric dynamics but became available only recently, thanks to developments in remote sensing and modelling approaches. We present the first thorough assessment of the quality of the wind estimates by comparing co-located observations from lidar and microwave radiometry and opposing them to the major atmospheric models. Moreover we evaluated a new approach for measuring mesopause region wind by radiometry.
Qiang Li, Markus Rapp, Gunter Stober, and Ralph Latteck
Ann. Geophys., 36, 577–586, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-577-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-36-577-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
With the powerful MAARSY radar, we detected 3D wind fields and the vertical winds show a non-Gaussian distribution. We further obtained the frequency spectrum of vertical wind. The distribution of the spectral slopes under different wind conditions is derived and their comparisons with the background horizontal winds show that the spectra become steeper with increasing wind velocities under quiet conditions, approach a slope of −5/3 at 10 m/s and then maintain this slope for even stronger winds.
Jens Hildebrand, Gerd Baumgarten, Jens Fiedler, and Franz-Josef Lübken
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 13345–13359, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-13345-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-13345-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We present altitude profiles of winds and temperatures in the Arctic strato- and mesosphere obtained during three Januaries. The data show large year-to-year variations. We compare the observations to model data. For monthly mean profiles we find good agreement below 55 km altitude but also differences of up to 20 K and 20 m s-1 above. The fluctuations during single nights indicate gravity waves. The kinetic energy of such waves is typically 5 to 10 times larger than their potential energy.
Sven Wilhelm, Gunter Stober, and Jorge L. Chau
Ann. Geophys., 35, 893–906, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-893-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-893-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
A comparison between winds and tides in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere based on measurements from a meteor radar (MR) and a medium-frequency radar in northern Norway was done to estimate potential biases between the two systems. Our results indicate reasonable agreement for the zonal and meridional wind components between 78 and 92 km. Based on these findings, we have taken the MR data as a reference and thus construct a consistent and homogenous wind from approximately 60 to 110 km.
Gunter Stober, Vivien Matthias, Christoph Jacobi, Sven Wilhelm, Josef Höffner, and Jorge L. Chau
Ann. Geophys., 35, 711–720, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-711-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-711-2017, 2017
Ryosuke Shibuya, Kaoru Sato, Masaki Tsutsumi, Toru Sato, Yoshihiro Tomikawa, Koji Nishimura, and Masashi Kohma
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 6455–6476, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-6455-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-6455-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The first observations made by a complete PANSY radar system (Program of the Antarctic Syowa MST/IS radar) installed at Syowa Station were successfully performed from 16 to 24 March 2015. Over this period, quasi-12 h period disturbances in the mesosphere at heights of 70 to 80 km were observed. Combining the observational data and numerical simulation outputs, we found that quasi-12 h disturbances are due to large-scale inertia–gravity waves, not to semi-diurnal migrating tides.
Ravindra P. Singh and Duggirala Pallamraju
Ann. Geophys., 35, 227–237, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-227-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-35-227-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
A near-infrared imaging spectrograph (NIRIS) has been developed in-house and is being operated from a low-latitude location, Gurushikhar, Mount Abu (24.6° N, 72.8° E), in India. The results presented in this study provide us with a comprehensive picture of mesospheric wave dynamics in terms of characterizing their response to various sources (solar and atmospheric) that give rise to the variability in the mesospheric intensities and temperatures.
Svenja Sommer and Jorge L. Chau
Ann. Geophys., 34, 1231–1241, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-1231-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-1231-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Radar echoes from mesospheric altitudes (80–90 km) are called polar mesospheric summer echoes (PMSEs). These echoes can be used to derive wind velocities and turbulence strength estimations in a region where measurements are hard to perform. The small-scale structure of PMSEs has not been analysed before but, as we will show, has a major influence on wind and turbulence measurements. We also present a method to improve these measurements by using software beam-steering methods.
Qiang Li, Markus Rapp, Anne Schrön, Andreas Schneider, and Gunter Stober
Ann. Geophys., 34, 1209–1229, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-1209-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-1209-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Turbulence is an essential process in the atmosphere and ocean. Clear-air turbulence is a well-known threat for the safety of aviation. Using a powerful MST radar, we detected turbulence and compared it with the results from radiosondes. The correlation between turbulence and background conditions, e.g., Richardson number and wind shears, is determined. There is a nearly negative correlation between turbulence and Richardson number independent of the length scale over which it was calculated.
Deepak K. Karan, Duggirala Pallamraju, Kedar A. Phadke, Tatiparti Vijayalakshmi, Tarun K. Pant, and Shyamoli Mukherjee
Ann. Geophys., 34, 1019–1030, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-1019-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-1019-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Dayglow emission variability is expected to show a symmetric solar zenith-angle-dependent diurnal pattern as the production mechanisms are dominated by solar flux; however, this is not always the case. Our investigation reveals an imprint of equatorial electrodynamics on the neutral dayglow emission variability, as opposed to that of the solar zenith angle. This has implications in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the coupled nature of the ion-neutral behaviour in the upper atmosphere.
Ch. Jacobi, N. Samtleben, and G. Stober
Adv. Radio Sci., 14, 169–174, https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-14-169-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-14-169-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
VHF meteor radar observations of mesosphere/lower thermosphere daily temperatures have been performed at Collm, Germany. The data have been analyzed with respect to long-period oscillations at time scales of 2 to 30 days. The results reveal that oscillations with periods of up to 6 days are more frequently observed during summer, while those with longer periods have larger amplitudes during winter. The results are comparable with analyses from radar wind measurements.
Silje Eriksen Holmen, Chris M. Hall, and Masaki Tsutsumi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 7853–7866, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-7853-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-7853-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Atmospheric temperatures at 90 km height above Tromsø, Norway, from 2003 to 2014 have been determined using meteor radar. Periodic oscillations ranging from ~ 9 days to a year were found in the dataset, which were related to the large-scale circulation in the middle atmosphere and with wave activity. A trend analysis was performed, revealing an overall weak cooling trend from 2003 to 2014, which is in line with other recent studies on mesopause region (~ 90 km) temperature trends.
Maria Mihalikova, Kaoru Sato, Masaki Tsutsumi, and Toru Sato
Ann. Geophys., 34, 543–555, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-543-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-543-2016, 2016
Juha Vierinen, Jorge L. Chau, Nico Pfeffer, Matthias Clahsen, and Gunter Stober
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 9, 829–839, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-829-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-9-829-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes the use of pseudorandom coded continuous wave radar transmissions for meteor radar. This avoids range-aliased echoes, maximizes pulse compression gain, is less susceptible to RFI, allows time resolution to be changed flexibly, and enables multiple transmitters to operate on the same frequency without interfering each other. These features make the radar well suited for multi-static meteor radar networks. We show results from a measurement campaign to demonstrate the method.
T. Renkwitz, C. Schult, R. Latteck, and G. Stober
Adv. Radio Sci., 13, 41–48, https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-13-41-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-13-41-2015, 2015
M. Pramitha, M. Venkat Ratnam, A. Taori, B. V. Krishna Murthy, D. Pallamraju, and S. Vijaya Bhaskar Rao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 2709–2721, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-2709-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-2709-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Sources and propagation characteristics of high-frequency gravity waves observed in the mesosphere using airglow emissions from Gadanki and Hyderabad, India, are investigated using reverse ray tracing. Wave amplitudes are also traced back, including both radiative and diffusive damping. Interestingly, large vertical shears in the horizontal wind are noticed near the ray terminal points (at 10-12km altitude) and are thus identified to be the source for generating the observed gravity waves.
S. Sommer, G. Stober, J. L. Chau, and R. Latteck
Adv. Radio Sci., 12, 197–203, https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-12-197-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-12-197-2014, 2014
T. Takahashi, S. Nozawa, M. Tsutsumi, C. Hall, S. Suzuki, T. T. Tsuda, T. D. Kawahara, N. Saito, S. Oyama, S. Wada, T. Kawabata, H. Fujiwara, A. Brekke, A. Manson, C. Meek, and R. Fujii
Ann. Geophys., 32, 1195–1205, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-32-1195-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-32-1195-2014, 2014
H. Wilms, M. Rapp, P. Hoffmann, J. Fiedler, and G. Baumgarten
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 11951–11963, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-11951-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-11951-2013, 2013
N. Kaifler, G. Baumgarten, J. Fiedler, and F.-J. Lübken
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 11757–11768, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-11757-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-11757-2013, 2013
G. Stober, S. Sommer, M. Rapp, and R. Latteck
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 6, 2893–2905, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-2893-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-6-2893-2013, 2013
C. Schult, G. Stober, J. L. Chau, and R. Latteck
Ann. Geophys., 31, 1843–1851, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-1843-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-1843-2013, 2013
H. Suzuki, T. Nakamura, M. K. Ejiri, T. Ogawa, M. Tsutsumi, M. Abo, T. D. Kawahara, Y. Tomikawa, A. S. Yukimatu, and N. Sato
Ann. Geophys., 31, 1793–1803, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-1793-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-1793-2013, 2013
V. Matthias, P. Hoffmann, A. Manson, C. Meek, G. Stober, P. Brown, and M. Rapp
Ann. Geophys., 31, 1397–1415, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-1397-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-1397-2013, 2013
G. Stober, C. Schult, C. Baumann, R. Latteck, and M. Rapp
Ann. Geophys., 31, 473–487, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-473-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-473-2013, 2013
T. Dunker, U.-P. Hoppe, G. Stober, and M. Rapp
Ann. Geophys., 31, 61–73, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-61-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-61-2013, 2013
M. Rapp, J. M. C. Plane, B. Strelnikov, G. Stober, S. Ernst, J. Hedin, M. Friedrich, and U.-P. Hoppe
Ann. Geophys., 30, 1661–1673, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-30-1661-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-30-1661-2012, 2012
Related subject area
Subject: Dynamics | Research Activity: Field Measurements | Altitude Range: Mesosphere | Science Focus: Physics (physical properties and processes)
Variations in global zonal wind from 18 to 100 km due to solar activity and the quasi-biennial oscillation and El Niño–Southern Oscillation during 2002–2019
Radar observations of winds, waves and tides in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere over South Georgia island (54° S, 36° W) and comparison with WACCM simulations
Simultaneous in situ measurements of small-scale structures in neutral, plasma, and atomic oxygen densities during the WADIS sounding rocket project
Thermal structure of the mesopause region during the WADIS-2 rocket campaign
On the origin of the mesospheric quasi-stationary planetary waves in the unusual Arctic winter 2015/2016
Influence of geomagnetic activity on mesopause temperature over Yakutia
Quasi-12 h inertia–gravity waves in the lower mesosphere observed by the PANSY radar at Syowa Station (39.6° E, 69.0° S)
Change in turbopause altitude at 52 and 70° N
High-resolution observations of the near-surface wind field over an isolated mountain and in a steep river canyon
Characteristics and sources of gravity waves observed in noctilucent cloud over Norway
Observation of a mesospheric front in a thermal-doppler duct over King George Island, Antarctica
The role of the QBO in the inter-hemispheric coupling of summer mesospheric temperatures
Xiao Liu, Jiyao Xu, Jia Yue, and Vania F. Andrioli
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 6145–6167, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6145-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-6145-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Winds are important in characterizing atmospheric dynamics and coupling. However, it is difficult to directly measure the global winds from the stratosphere to the lower thermosphere. We developed a global zonal wind dataset according to the gradient wind theory and SABER and meteor radar observations. Using the dataset, we studied the intra-annual, inter-annual, and long-term variations. This is helpful to understand the variations and coupling of the stratosphere to the lower thermosphere.
Neil P. Hindley, Nicholas J. Mitchell, Neil Cobbett, Anne K. Smith, Dave C. Fritts, Diego Janches, Corwin J. Wright, and Tracy Moffat-Griffin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9435–9459, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9435-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9435-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We present observations of winds in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) from a recently installed meteor radar on the remote island of South Georgia (54° S, 36° W). We characterise mean winds, tides, planetary waves, and gravity waves in the MLT at this location and compare our measured winds with a leading climate model. We find that the observed wintertime winds are unexpectedly reversed from model predictions, probably because of missing impacts of secondary gravity waves in the model.
Boris Strelnikov, Martin Eberhart, Martin Friedrich, Jonas Hedin, Mikhail Khaplanov, Gerd Baumgarten, Bifford P. Williams, Tristan Staszak, Heiner Asmus, Irina Strelnikova, Ralph Latteck, Mykhaylo Grygalashvyly, Franz-Josef Lübken, Josef Höffner, Raimund Wörl, Jörg Gumbel, Stefan Löhle, Stefanos Fasoulas, Markus Rapp, Aroh Barjatya, Michael J. Taylor, and Pierre-Dominique Pautet
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 11443–11460, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-11443-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-11443-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Sounding rockets are the only means of measuring small-scale structures (i.e., spatial scales of kilometers to centimeters) in the Earth's middle atmosphere (50–120 km). We present and analyze brand-new high-resolution measurements of atomic oxygen (O) concentration together with high-resolution measurements of ionospheric plasma and neutral air parameters. We found a new behavior of the O inside turbulent layers, which might be essential to adequately model weather and climate.
Raimund Wörl, Boris Strelnikov, Timo P. Viehl, Josef Höffner, Pierre-Dominique Pautet, Michael J. Taylor, Yucheng Zhao, and Franz-Josef Lübken
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 19, 77–88, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-77-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-77-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Simultaneous temperature measurements during the WADIS-2 rocket campaign are used to investigate the thermal structure of the mesopause region. Vertically and horizontally resolved in situ and remote measurements are in good agreement and show dominating long-term and large-scale waves with periods of 24 h and higher tidal harmonics. Only a few gravity waves with periods shorter than 6 h and small amplitudes are there.
Vivien Matthias and Manfred Ern
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 4803–4815, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-4803-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-4803-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The aim of this study is to find the origin of mesospheric stationary planetary wave (SPW) in the subtropics and in mid and polar latitudes in mid winter 2015/2016. Our results based on observations show that upward propagating SPW and in situ generated SPWs by longitudinally variable gravity wave drag and by instabilities can be responsible for the occurrence of mesospheric SPWs and that they can act at the same time, which confirms earlier model studies.
Galina Gavrilyeva and Petr Ammosov
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 3363–3367, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-3363-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-3363-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The study of the response of the upper atmosphere to changes in solar and geomagnetic activity is an important contribution to the study of the Earth's climate. Measurements showed that the change in the atmospheric temperature at an altitude of 87 km above Yakutia lags behind the maximum solar radiation by 2 years and correlates with a change in geomagnetic activity. The winter temperature is higher in the years of the geomagnetic activity maximum than in the years of the minimum.
Ryosuke Shibuya, Kaoru Sato, Masaki Tsutsumi, Toru Sato, Yoshihiro Tomikawa, Koji Nishimura, and Masashi Kohma
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 17, 6455–6476, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-6455-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-6455-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The first observations made by a complete PANSY radar system (Program of the Antarctic Syowa MST/IS radar) installed at Syowa Station were successfully performed from 16 to 24 March 2015. Over this period, quasi-12 h period disturbances in the mesosphere at heights of 70 to 80 km were observed. Combining the observational data and numerical simulation outputs, we found that quasi-12 h disturbances are due to large-scale inertia–gravity waves, not to semi-diurnal migrating tides.
Chris M. Hall, Silje E. Holmen, Chris E. Meek, Alan H. Manson, and Satonori Nozawa
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 2299–2308, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-2299-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-2299-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Turbulent energy dissipation rates are calculated using MF-radar signals from 70 and 52° N for the period 2001–2014 inclusive, and they are used to estimate turbopause altitudes. A positive trend in turbopause altitude is identified for 70° N in summer, but not in winter and not at 52° N. The turbopause altitude change between 2001 and 2014 can be used to hypothesize a corresponding change in atomic oxygen concentration.
B. W. Butler, N. S. Wagenbrenner, J. M. Forthofer, B. K. Lamb, K. S. Shannon, D. Finn, R. M. Eckman, K. Clawson, L. Bradshaw, P. Sopko, S. Beard, D. Jimenez, C. Wold, and M. Vosburgh
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 15, 3785–3801, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3785-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-15-3785-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Interest in numerical wind models continues to increase, especially for models that can simulate winds at relatively high spatial resolution (~100m). However, limited observational data exist for evaluation of model predictive performance. This study presents high-resolution surface wind data sets collected from an isolated mountain and a steep river canyon. The data are available to the public at http://www.firemodels.org/index.php/windninja-introduction/windninja-publications.
T. D. Demissie, P. J. Espy, N. H. Kleinknecht, M. Hatlen, N. Kaifler, and G. Baumgarten
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 12133–12142, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-12133-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-12133-2014, 2014
Short summary
Short summary
Summertime gravity waves detected in noctilucent clouds (NLCs) between 64◦ and 74◦N are found to have a similar climatology to those observed between 60◦ and 64◦N, and their direction of propagation is to the north and northeast as observed south of 64◦N. However, a unique population of fast, short wavelength waves propagating towards the SW is observed in the NLC. The sources of the prominent wave structures observed in the NLC are likely to be from waves propagating from near the tropopause.
J. V. Bageston, C. M. Wrasse, P. P. Batista, R. E. Hibbins, D. C Fritts, D. Gobbi, and V. F. Andrioli
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 12137–12147, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-12137-2011, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-12137-2011, 2011
P. J. Espy, S. Ochoa Fernández, P. Forkman, D. Murtagh, and J. Stegman
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 11, 495–502, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-495-2011, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-495-2011, 2011
Cited articles
Ballinger, A. P., Chilson, P. B., Palmer, R. D., and Mitchell, N. J.: On the
validity of the ambipolar diffusion assumption in the polar mesopause region,
Ann. Geophys., 26, 3439–3443, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-26-3439-2008,
2008. a
Batubara, M., Yamamoto, M.-Y., Madkour, W., and Manik, T.: Long-Term
Distribution of Meteors in a Solar Cycle Period Observed by VHF Meteor
Radars at Near-Equatorial Latitudes, 123, 10403–10415, J. Geophys. Res.-Space,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018ja025906, 2018. a
Baumgarten, G.: Doppler Rayleigh/Mie/Raman lidar for wind and temperature
measurements in the middle atmosphere up to 80 km, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 3,
1509–1518, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-3-1509-2010, 2010. a
Cervera, M. A. and Reid, I. M.: Comparison of atmospheric parameters derived
from meteor observations with CIRA, Radio Sci., 35, 833–843,
https://doi.org/10.1029/1999RS002226, 2000. a
Chau, J. L., Strelnikova, I., Schult, C., Oppenheim, M. M., Kelley, M. C.,
Stober, G., and Singer, W.: Nonspecular meteor trails from non-field-aligned
irregularities: Can they be explained by presence of charged meteor dust?,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 3336–3343, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014gl059922,
2014. a
Dimant, Y. S. and Oppenheim, M. M.: Meteor trail diffusion and fields: 2.
Analytical theory, J. Geophys. Res.-Space, 111, A12313,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JA011798, 2006. a
Espy, P. and Jutt, H.: Equilibrium temperature of water–ice
aerosols in the high-latitude summer mesosphere, J. Atmos.
Sol.-Terr. Phys., 64, 1823–1832,
https://doi.org/10.1016/s1364-6826(02)00191-8, 2002. a
Fiedler, J. and Baumgarten, G.: Solar and lunar tides in noctilucent clouds
as determined by ground-based lidar, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18, 16051–16061,
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-18-16051-2018, 2018. a, b, c
Fiedler, J., Baumgarten, G., Berger, U., Hoffmann, P., Kaifler, N., and
Lübken, F.-J.: NLC and the background atmosphere above ALOMAR, Atmos. Chem.
Phys., 11, 5701–5717, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-11-5701-2011, 2011. a, b, c
Fiedler, J., Baumgarten, G., Berger, U., and Lübken, F.-J.: Long-term
variations of noctilucent clouds at ALOMAR, J. Atmos.
Sol.-Terr. Phys., 162, 79–89, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2016.08.006,
2017. a
Gerding, M., Kopp, M., Hoffmann, P., Höffner, J., and Lübken, F.-J.:
Diurnal variations of midlatitude NLC parameters observed by
daylight-capable lidar and their relation to ambient parameters, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 40, 6390–6394, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013gl057955, 2013. a
Greenhow, J. and Neufeld, E.: The diffusion of ionized meteor trails in the
upper atmosphere, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., 6, 133–140,
https://doi.org/10.1016/0021-9169(55)90020-9, 1955. a
Hall, C. M.: On the influence of neutral turbulence on ambipolar
diffusivities deduced from meteor trail expansion, Ann. Geophys., 20,
1857–1862, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-20-1857-2002, 2002. a
Hall, C. M., Aso, T., Tsutsumi, M., Höffner, J., and Sigernes, F.:
Multi-instrument derivation of 90 km temperatures over Svalbard
(78∘ N 16∘ E), Radio Sci., 39,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2004rs003069, 2004. a
Hall, C. M., Aso, T., Tsutsumi, M., Nozawa, S., Manson, A. H., and Meek, C. E.: Letter to the Editior
Testing the hypothesis of the influence of neutral turbulence on the
deduction of ambipolar diffusivities from meteor trail expansion, Ann.
Geophys., 23, 1071–1073, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-23-1071-2005, 2005. a
Havnes, O. and Sigernes, F.: On the influence of background dust on radar
scattering from meteor trails, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr.
Phys., 67, 659–664, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2004.12.009, 2005. a
Hocking, W., Fuller, B., and Vandepeer, B.: Real-time determination of
meteor-related parameters utilizing modern digital technology, J.
Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., 63, 155–169,
https://doi.org/10.1016/s1364-6826(00)00138-3, 2001. a, b
Hocking, W. K.: Temperatures Using radar-meteor decay times, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 26, 3297–3300, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999GL003618, 1999. a
Hocking, W. K., Thayaparan, T., and Jones, J.: Meteor decay times and their
use
in determining a diagnostic mesospheric Temperature-pressure parameter:
Methodology and one year of data, Geophys. Res. Lett., 24,
2977–2980, https://doi.org/10.1029/97GL03048, 1997. a
Hocking, W. K., Silber, R. E., Plane, J. M. C., Feng, W., and Garbanzo-Salas,
M.: Decay times of transitionally dense specularly reflecting meteor trails
and potential chemical impact on trail lifetimes, Ann. Geophys., 34,
1119–1144, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-34-1119-2016, 2016. a
Holdsworth, D. A., Morris, R. J., Murphy, D. J., Reid, I. M., Burns, G. B.,
and
French, W. J. R.: Antarctic mesospheric temperature estimation using the
Davis mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere radar, J. Geophys.
Res., 111, D05108, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005jd006589, 2006. a
Holmen, S. E., Hall, C. M., and Tsutsumi, M.: Neutral atmosphere temperature
trends and variability at 90 km, 70∘ N, 19∘ E, 2003–2014,
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 7853–7866, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-7853-2016,
2016. a
Laskar, F. I., Chau, J. L., St.-Maurice, J. P., Stober, G., Hall, C. M.,
Tsutsumi, M., Höffner, J., and Hoffmann, P.: Experimental Evidence of
Arctic Summer Mesospheric Upwelling and Its Connection to Cold Summer
Mesopause, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 9151–9158,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017gl074759, 2017. a
Lee, C. S., Younger, J. P., Reid, I. M., Kim, Y. H., and Kim, J.-H.: The
effect
of recombination and attachment on meteor radar diffusion coefficient
profiles, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 118, 3037–3043,
https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrd.50315, 2013. a, b
Lübken, F.-J., Rapp, M., and Hoffmann, P.: Neutral air turbulence and
temperatures in the vicinity of polar mesosphere summer echoes, J. Geophys.
Res.-Atmos., 107, 4273, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JD000915, 2002. a
Meek, C. E., Manson, A. H., Hocking, W. K., and Drummond, J. R.: Eureka,
80∘ N, SKiYMET meteor radar temperatures compared with Aura MLS
values, Ann. Geophys., 31, 1267–1277,
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-31-1267-2013, 2013. a
Murray, E.: Ambipolar diffusion of a meteor trail and its relation with
height, Planet. Space Sci., 1, 125–129,
https://doi.org/10.1016/0032-0633(59)90008-x, 1959. a
Pedatella, N. M., Raeder, K., Anderson, J. L., and Liu, H.-L.: Ensemble data
assimilation in the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model, J.
Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 119, 9793–9809,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2014jd021776, 2014. a, b
Rapp, M. and Lübken, F.-J.: Electron temperature control of PMSE,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 27, 3285–3288, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000gl011922,
2000. a
Singer, W., Latteck, R., Millan, L. F., Mitchell, N. J., and Fiedler, J.:
Radar
Backscatter from Underdense Meteors and Diffusion Rates, Earth Moon
Planets, 102, 403–409, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11038-007-9220-0, 2008. a, b, c
Smith, A. K.: Global Dynamics of the MLT, Surv. Geophys., 33,
1177–1230, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-012-9196-9, 2012.
a
Stober, G., Jacobi, C., Matthias, V., Hoffmann, P., and Gerding, M.: Neutral
air density variations during strong planetary wave activity in the mesopause
region derived from meteor radar observations, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phys., 74, 55–63, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2011.10.007,
2012. a
Yi, W., Reid, I. M., Xue, X., Murphy, D. J., Hall, C. M., Tsutsumi, M., Ning,
B., Li, G., Younger, J. P., Chen, T., and Dou, X.: High- and Middle-Latitude
Neutral Mesospheric Density Response to Geomagnetic Storms, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 45, 436–444, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017gl076282, 2018. a
Younger, J. P., Lee, C. S., Reid, I. M., Vincent, R. A., Kim, Y. H., and
Murphy, D. J.: The effects of deionization processes on meteor radar
diffusion coefficients below 90 km, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 119, 10027–10043, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JD021787, 2014. a, b, c, d
Short summary
Meteor radars are used to track and estimate the fading time of meteor trails. In this investigation, it is observed that the diffusion time estimated from such trail fading time is anomalously higher during noctilucent clouds (NLC) than that in its absence. We propose that NLC particles absorb background electrons and thus modify the background electrodynamics, leading to such an anomaly.
Meteor radars are used to track and estimate the fading time of meteor trails. In this...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint