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- ItemThe thermal and dynamical state of the atmosphere during polar mesosphere winter echoes(München : European Geopyhsical Union, 2006) Lübken, F.-J.; Strelnikov, B.; Rapp, M.; Singer, W.; Latteck, R.; Brattli, A.; Hoppe, U.-P.; Friedrich, M.In January 2005, a total of 18 rockets were launched from the Andøya Rocket Range in Northern Norway (69° N) into strong VHF radar echoes called "Polar Mesosphere Winter Echoes" (PMWE). The echoes were observed in the lower and middle mesosphere during large solar proton fluxes. In general, PMWE occur much more seldom compared to their summer counterparts PMSE (typical occurrence rates at 69° N are 1–3% vs. 80%, respectively). Our in-situ measurements by falling sphere, chaff, and instrumented payloads provide detailed information about the thermal and dynamical state of the atmosphere and therefore allow an unprecedented study of the background atmosphere during PMWE. There are a number of independent observations indicating that neutral air turbulence has caused PMWE. Ion density fluctuations show a turbulence spectrum within PMWE and no fluctuations outside. Temperature lapse rates close to the adiabatic gradient are observed in the vicinity of PMWE indicating persistent turbulent mixing. The spectral broadening of radar echoes is consistent with turbulent velocity fluctuations. Turbulence also explains the mean occurrence height of PMWE (~68–75 km): viscosity increases rapidly with altitude and destroys any small scale fluctuations in the upper mesosphere, whereas electron densities are usually too low in the lower mesosphere to cause significant backscatter. The seasonal variation of echoes in the lower mesosphere is in agreement with a turbulence climatology derived from earlier sounding rocket flights. We have performed model calculations to study the radar backscatter from plasma fluctuations caused by neutral air turbulence. We find that volume reflectivities observed during PMWE are in quantitative agreement with theory. Apart from turbulence the most crucial requirement for PMWE is a sufficiently large number of electrons, for example produced by solar proton events. We have studied the sensitivity of the radar echo strength on various parameters, most important electron number density and turbulence intensity. Our observational and theoretical considerations do not provide any evidence that charged aerosol particles are needed to explain PMWE, in contrast to the summer echoes which owe their existence to charged ice particles.
- ItemInfrasound - The cause of strong Polar Mesosphere Winter Echoes?(München : European Geopyhsical Union, 2006) Kirkwood, S.; Chilson, P.; Belova, E.; Dalin, P.; Häggström, I.; Rietveld, M.; Singer, W.The ESRAD 52-MHz and the EISCAT 224-MHz radars in northern Scandinavia observed thin layers of strongly enhanced radar echoes from the mesosphere (Polar Mesosphere Winter Echoes - PMWE) during a solar proton event in November 2004. Using the interferometric capabilities of ESRAD it was found that the scatterers responsible for PMWE show very high horizontal travel speeds, up to 500 ms-1 or more, and high aspect sensitivity, with echo arrival angles spread over as little as 0.3°. ESRAD also detected, on some occasions, discrete scattering regions moving across the field of view with periodicities of a few seconds. The very narrow, vertically directed beam of the more powerful EISCAT radar allowed measurements of the spectral widths of the radar echoes both inside the PMWE and from the background plasma above and below the PMWE. Spectral widths inside the PMWE were found to be indistinguishable from those from the background plasma. We propose that scatter from highly-damped ion-acoustic waves generated by partial reflection of infrasonic waves provides a reasonable explanation of the characteristics of the very strong PMWE reported here.
- ItemSimilarities and differences in polar mesosphere summer echoes observed in the Arctic and Antarctica(München : European Geopyhsical Union, 2008) Latteck, R.; Singer, W.; Morris, R.J.; Hocking, W.K.; Murphy, D.J.; Holdsworth, D.A.; Swarnalingam, N.Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes (PMSE) have been observed in the high latitudes of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere for several years using VHF radars located at Andenes/Norway (69° N, 16° E), Resolute Bay/Canada (75° N, 95° W), and Davis/Antarctica (69° S, 78° E). The VHF radars at the three sites were calibrated using the same methods (noise source and delayed transmitting signal) and identical equipment. Volume reflectivity was derived from the calibrated echo power and the characteristics of the seasonal variation of PMSE were estimated at the sites for the years 2004 to 2007. The largest peak volume reflectivity of about 2×10−9 m−1 was observed at Andenes compared with their counterparts at Davis (~4×10−11 m−1) and Resolute Bay (~6×10−12 m−1). The peak of the PMSE height distribution is 85.6 km at Davis which is about 1 km higher than at Andenes. At Resolute Bay the height distribution peaks at about 85 km but only a few layers were found below 84 km. The mean PMSE occurrence rate is 83% at Andenes, 38% at Davis with larger variability and only 18% at Resolute Bay (in late summer). The duration of the PMSE season varies at Andenes from 104 to 113 days and at Davis from 88 to 93 days. In general the PMSE seasons starts about 5 days later at Davis and ends about 10 days earlier compared to Andenes. In all three seasons the PMSE occurrence suddenly drops to a much lower level at Davis about 32 days after solstice whereas the PMSE season decays smoothly at Andenes. The duration of the PMSE season at Andenes and Davis is highly correlated with the presence of equatorward directed winds, the observed differences in PMSE occurrence are related to the mesospheric temperatures at both sites.
- ItemLatitudinal wave coupling of the stratosphere and mesosphere during the major stratospheric warming in 2003/2004(München : European Geopyhsical Union, 2008) Pancheva, D.; Mukhtarov, P.; Mitchell, N.J.; Andonov, B.; Merzlyakov, E.; Singer, W.; Murayama, Y.; Kawamura, S.; Xiong, J.; Wan, W.; Hocking, W.; Fritts, D.; Riggin, D.; Meek, C.; Manson, A.The coupling of the dynamical regimes in the high- and low-latitude stratosphere and mesosphere during the major SSW in the Arctic winter of 2003/2004 has been studied. The UKMO zonal wind data were used to explore the latitudinal coupling in the stratosphere, while the coupling in the mesosphere was investigated by neutral wind measurements from eleven radars situated at high, high-middle and tropical latitudes. It was found that the inverse relationship between the variability of the zonal mean flows at high- and low-latitude stratosphere related to the SSW is produced by global-scale zonally symmetric waves. Their origin and other main features have been investigated in detail. Similar latitudinal dynamical coupling has been found for the mesosphere as well. Indirect evidence for the presence of zonally symmetric waves in the mesosphere has been found.
- ItemPropagation of short-period gravity waves at high-latitudes during the MaCWAVE winter campaign(München : European Geopyhsical Union, 2006) Nielsen, K.; Taylor, M.J.; Pautet, P.-D.; Fritts, D.C.; Mitchell, N.; Beldon, C.; Williams, B.P.; Singer, W.; Schmidlin, F.J.; Goldberg, R.A.As part of the MaCWAVE (Mountain and Convective Waves Ascending Vertically) winter campaign an all-sky monochromatic CCD imager has been used to investigate the properties of short-period mesospheric gravity waves at high northern latitudes. Sequential measurements of several nightglow emissions were made from Esrange, Sweden, during a limited period from 27–31 January 2003. Coincident wind measurements over the altitude range (~80–100 km) using two meteor radar systems located at Esrange and Andenes have been used to perform a novel investigation of the intrinsic properties of five distinct wave events observed during this period. Additional lidar and MSIS model temperature data have been used to investigate their nature (i.e. freely propagating or ducted). Four of these extensive wave events were found to be freely propagating with potential source regions to the north of Scandinavia. No evidence was found for strong orographic forcing by short-period waves in the airglow emission layers. The fifth event was most unusual exhibiting an extensive, but much smaller and variable wavelength pattern that appeared to be embedded in the background wind field. Coincident wind measurements indicated the presence of a strong shear suggesting this event was probably due to a large-scale Kelvin-Helmholtz instability.
- ItemSignatures of mesospheric particles in ionospheric data(München : European Geopyhsical Union, 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.
- ItemLong-term variations of the mesospheric wind field at mid-latitudes(München : European Geopyhsical Union, 2007) Keuer, D.; Hoffmann, P.; Singer, W.; Bremer, J.Continuous MF radar observations at the station Juliusruh (54.6° N; 13.4° E) have been analysed for the time interval between 1990 and 2005, to obtain information about solar activity-induced variations, as well as long-term trends in the mesospheric wind field. Using monthly median values of the zonal and the meridional prevailing wind components, as well as of the amplitude of the semidiurnal tide, regression analyses have been carried out with a dependence on solar activity and time. The solar activity causes a significant amplification of the zonal winds during summer (increasing easterly winds) and winter (increasing westerly winds). The meridional wind component is positively correlated with the solar activity during summer but during winter the correlation is very small and non significant. Also, the solar influence upon the amplitude of the semidiurnal tidal component is relatively small (in dependence on height partly positive and partly negative) and mostly non-significant. The derived trends in the zonal wind component during summer are below an altitude of about 83 km negative and above this height positive. During the winter months the trends are nearly opposite compared with the trends in summer (transition height near 86 km). The trends in the meridional wind components are below about 85 km positive in summer (significant) and near zero (nonsignificant) in winter; above this height during both seasons negative trends have been detected. The trends in the semidiurnal tidal amplitude are at all heights positive, but only partly significant. The detected trends and solar cycle dependencies are compared with other experimental results and model calculations. There is no full agreement between the different results, probably caused by different measuring techniques and evaluation methods used. Also, different heights and observation periods investigated may contribute to the detected differences.