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The noctilucent cloud (NLC) display during the ECOMA/MASS sounding rocket flights on 3 August 2007: Morphology on global to local scales
2009, Baumgarten, G., Fiedler, J., Fricke, K.H., Gerding, M., Hervig, M., Hoffmann, P., Müller, N., Pautet, P.-D., Rapp, M., Robert, C., Rusch, D., von Savigny, C., Singer, W.
During the ECOMA/MASS rocket campaign large scale NLC/PMC was observed by satellite, lidar and camera from polar to mid latitudes. We examine the observations from different instruments to investigate the morphology of the cloud. Satellite observations show a planetary wave 2 structure. Lidar observations from Kühlungsborn (54° N), Esrange (68° N) and ALOMAR (69° N) show a highly dynamic NLC layer. Under favorable solar illumination the cloud is also observable by ground-based cameras. The cloud was detected by cameras from Trondheim (63° N), Juliusruh (55° N) and Kühlungsborn. We investigate planetary scale morphology and local scale gravity wave structures, important for the interpretation of the small scale rocket soundings. We compare in detail the lidar observations with the NLC structure observed by the camera in Trondheim. The ALOMAR RMR-lidar observed only a faint NLC during the ECOMA launch window, while the camera in Trondheim showed a strong NLC display in the direction of ALOMAR. Using the high resolution camera observations (t~30 s, Δx<5 km) and the wind information from the meteor radar at ALOMAR we investigate the formation and destruction of NLC structures. We observe that the NLC brightness is reduced by a factor of 20–40 within 100 s which can be caused by a temperature about 15 K above the frostpoint temperature. A horizontal temperature gradient of more than 3 K/km is estimated.
Signatures of mesospheric particles in ionospheric data
2009, Friedrich, M., Torkar, K.M., Singer, W., Strelnikova, I., Rapp, M., Robertson, S.
The state of the ionosphere during the 2007 ECOMA/MASS campaign is described by in-situ observations by three sounding rockets launched from the Andøya Rocket Range and by ground based observations. The ground based measurements included the incoherent scatter radar EISCAT near Tromsø (both on UHF and VHF), as well as an MF radar, a meteor radar and an imaging riometer all located in the close vicinity of the rocket range. The pronounced electron density bite-outs seen by two of the rockets could not be detected from the ground, but the associated PMSE (Polar Mesospheric Summer Echoes) provide indirect evidence of pronounced perturbations of mesospheric electron densities.
Turbulent energy dissipation rates observed by Doppler MST Radar and by rocket-borne instruments during the MIDAS/MaCWAVE campaign 2002
2005, Engler, N., Latteck, R., Strelnikov, B., Singer, W., Rapp, M.
During the MIDAS/MaCWAVE campaign in summer 2002 we have observed turbulence using Doppler beam steering measurements obtained from the ALWIN VHF radar at Andøya/Northern Norway. This radar was operated in the Doppler beam steering mode for turbulence investigations during the campaign, as well as in spaced antenna mode, for continuously measuring the background wind field. The real-time data analysis of the Doppler radar backscattering provided the launch conditions for the sounding rockets. The spectral width data observed during the occurrence of PMSE were corrected for beam and shear broadening caused by the background wind field to obtain the turbulent part of the spectral width. The turbulent energy dissipation rates determined from the turbulent spectral width vary between 5 and 100 m Wkg-1 in the altitude range of 80-92 km and increase with altitude. These estimations agree well with the in-situ measurements using the CONE sensor which was launched on 3 sounding rockets during the campaign.