Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Item
    Mesopause dynamics from the Scandinavian triangle of radars within the PSMOS-DATAR project
    (München : European Geopyhsical Union, 2004) Manson, A.H.; Meek, C.E.; Hall, C.M.; Nozawa, S.; Mitchell, N.J.; Pancheva, D.; Singer, W.; Hoffmann, P.
    The "Scandinavian Triangle" is a unique trio of radars within the DATAR Project (Dynamics and Temperatures from the Arctic MLT (60–97km) region): Andenes MF radar (69°N, 16°E); Tromsø MF radar (70°N, 19°E) and Esrange "Meteor" radar (68°N, 21°E). The radar-spacings range from 125-270km, making it unique for studies of wind variability associated with small-scale waves, comparisons of large-scale waves measured over small spacings, and for comparisons of winds from different radar systems. As such it complements results from arrays having spacings of 25km and 500km that have been located near Saskatoon. Correlation analysis is used to demonstrate a speed bias (MF smaller than the Meteor) between the radar types, which varies with season and altitude. Annual climatologies for the year 2000 of mean winds, solar tides, planetary and gravity waves are presented, and show indications of significant spatial variability across the Triangle and of differences in wave characteristics from middle latitudes.
  • Item
    Four-Dimensional Quantification of Kelvin-Helmholtz Instabilities in the Polar SummerMesosphere Using Volumetric Radar Imaging
    (Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 2020) Chau, J.L.; Urco, J.M.; Avsarkisov, V.; Vierinen, J.P.; Latteck, R.; Hall, C.M.; Tsutsumi, M.
    We present and characterize in time and three spatial dimensions a Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability (KHI) event from polar mesospheric summer echoes (PMSE) observed with the Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System. We use a newly developed radar imaging mode, which observed PMSE intensity and line of sight velocity with high temporal and angular resolution. The identified KHI event occurs in a narrow layer of 2.4 km thickness centered at 85 km altitude, is elongated along north-south direction, presents separation between billows of ~ 8 km in the east-west direction, and its billow width is ~ 3 km. The accompanying vertical gradients of the horizontal wind are between 35 and 45 m/s/km and vertical velocities inside the billows are ± 12 m/s. Based on the estimated Richardson (< 0.25), horizontal Froude ( ~ 0.8), and buoyancy Reynolds ( ~ 2.5 × 10 4) numbers, the observed event is a KHI that occurs under weak stratification and generates strong turbulence. © 2019. The Authors.