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Simultaneous observations of a Mesospheric Inversion Layer and turbulence during the ECOMA-2010 rocket campaign

2013, Szewczyk, A., Strelnikov, B., Rapp, M., Strelnikova, I., Baumgarten, G., Kaifler, N., Dunker, T., Hoppe, U.-P.

From 19 November to 19 December 2010 the fourth and final ECOMA rocket campaign was conducted at Andøya Rocket Range (69 N, 16 E) in northern Norway. We present and discuss measurement results obtained during the last rocket launch labelled ECOMA09 when simultaneous and true common volume in situ measurements of temperature and turbulence supported by ground-based lidar observations reveal two Mesospheric Inversion Layers (MIL) at heights between 71 and 73 km and between 86 and 89 km. Strong turbulence was measured in the region of the upper inversion layer, with the turbulent energy dissipation rates maximising at 2 W kg-1. This upper MIL was observed by the ALOMAR Weber Na lidar over the period of several hours. The spatial extension of this MIL as observed by the MLS instrument onboard AURA satellite was found to be more than two thousand kilometres. Our analysis suggests that both observed MILs could possibly have been produced by neutral air turbulence.

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Atomic oxygen number densities in the mesosphere–lower thermosphere region measured by solid electrolyte sensors onWADIS-2

2019, Eberhart, Martin, Löhle, Stefan, Strelnikov, Boris, Hedin, Jonas, Khaplanov, Mikhail, Fasoulas, Stefanos, Gumbel, Jörg, Lübken, Franz-Josef, Rapp, Markus

Absolute profiles of atomic oxygen number densities with high vertical resolution have been determined in the mesosphere-lower thermosphere (MLT) region from in situ measurements by several rocket-borne solid electrolyte sensors. The amperometric sensors were operated in both controlled and uncontrolled modes and with various orientations on the foredeck and aft deck of the payload. Calibration was based on mass spectrometry in a molecular beam containing atomic oxygen produced in a microwave discharge. The sensor signal is proportional to the number flux onto the electrodes, and the mass flow rate in the molecular beam was additionally measured to derive this quantity from the spectrometer reading. Numerical simulations provided aerodynamic correction factors to derive the atmospheric number density of atomic oxygen from the sensor data. The flight results indicate a preferable orientation of the electrode surface perpendicular to the rocket axis. While unstable during the upleg, the density profiles measured by these sensors show an excellent agreement with the atmospheric models and photometer results during the downleg of the trajectory. The high spatial resolution of the measurements allows for the identification of small-scale variations in the atomic oxygen concentration. © Author(s) 2019. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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Quasi 18 h wave activity in ground-based observed mesospheric H2O over Bern, Switzerland

2017-12-18, Lainer, Martin, Hocke, Klemens, Rüfenacht, Rolf, Kämpfer, Niklaus

Observations of oscillations in the abundance of middle-atmospheric trace gases can provide insight into the dynamics of the middle atmosphere. Long-term, high-temporal-resolution and continuous measurements of dynamical tracers within the strato- and mesosphere are rare but would facilitate better understanding of the impact of atmospheric waves on the middle atmosphere. Here we report on water vapor measurements from the ground-based microwave radiometer MIAWARA (MIddle Atmospheric WAter vapor RAdiometer) located close to Bern during two winter periods of 6 months from October to March. Oscillations with periods between 6 and 30 h are analyzed in the pressure range 0.02–2 hPa. Seven out of 12 months have the highest wave amplitudes between 15 and 21 h periods in the mesosphere above 0.1 hPa. The quasi 18 h wave signature in the water vapor tracer is studied in more detail by analyzing its temporal evolution in the mesosphere up to an altitude of 75 km. Eighteen-hour oscillations in midlatitude zonal wind observations from the microwave Doppler wind radiometer WIRA (WInd RAdiometer) could be identified within the pressure range 0.1–1 hPa during an ARISE (Atmospheric dynamics Research InfraStructure in Europe)-affiliated measurement campaign at the Observatoire de Haute-Provence (355 km from Bern) in France in 2013. The origin of the observed upper-mesospheric quasi 18 h oscillations is uncertain and could not be determined with our available data sets. Possible drivers could be low-frequency inertia-gravity waves or a nonlinear wave–wave interaction between the quasi 2-day wave and the diurnal tide.

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Multistatic Specular Meteor Radar Network in Peru: System Description and Initial Results

2021, Chau, J.L., Urco, J.M., Vierinen, J., Harding, B.J., Clahsen, M., Pfeffer, N., Kuyeng, K.M., Milla, M.A., Erickson, P.J.

The mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region is dominated globally by dynamics at various scales: planetary waves, tides, gravity waves, and stratified turbulence. The latter two can coexist and be significant at horizontal scales less than 500 km, scales that are difficult to measure. This study presents a recently deployed multistatic specular meteor radar system, SIMONe Peru, which can be used to observe these scales. The radars are positioned at and around the Jicamarca Radio Observatory, which is located at the magnetic equator. Besides presenting preliminary results of typically reported large-scale features, like the dominant diurnal tide at low latitudes, we show results on selected days of spatially and temporally resolved winds obtained with two methods based on: (a) estimation of mean wind and their gradients (gradient method), and (b) an inverse theory with Tikhonov regularization (regularized wind field inversion method). The gradient method allows improved MLT vertical velocities and, for the first time, low-latitude wind field parameters such as horizontal divergence and relative vorticity. The regularized wind field inversion method allows the estimation of spatial structure within the observed area and has the potential to outperform the gradient method, in particular when more detections are available or when fine adaptive tuning of the regularization factor is done. SIMONe Peru adds important information at low latitudes to currently scarce MLT continuous observing capabilities. Results contribute to studies of the MLT dynamics at different scales inherently connected to lower atmospheric forcing and E-region dynamo related ionospheric variability.

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Climatologies and long-term changes in mesospheric wind and wave measurements based on radar observations at high and mid latitudes

2019, Wilhelm, S., Stober, G., Brown, P.

We report on long-term observations of atmospheric parameters in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) made over the last 2 decades. Within this study, we show, based on meteor wind measurement, the long-term variability of winds, tides, and kinetic energy of planetary and gravity waves. These measurements were done between the years 2002 and 2018 for the high-latitude location of Andenes (69.3°N, 16°E) and the mid-latitude locations of Juliusruh (54.6°N, 13.4°E) and Tavistock (43.3°N, 80.8°W). While the climatologies for each location show a similar pattern, the locations differ strongly with respect to the altitude and season of several parameters. Our results show annual wind tendencies for Andenes which are toward the south and to the west, with changes of up to 3°m s-1 per decade, while the mid-latitude locations show smaller opposite tendencies to negligible changes. The diurnal tides show nearly no significant long-term changes, while changes for the semidiurnal tides differ regarding altitude. Andenes shows only during winter a tidal weakening above 90°km, while for the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar (CMOR) an enhancement of the semidiurnal tides during the winter and a weakening during fall occur. Furthermore, the kinetic energy for planetary waves showed strong peak values during winters which also featured the occurrence of sudden stratospheric warming. The influence of the 11-year solar cycle on the winds and tides is presented. The amplitudes of the mean winds exhibit a significant amplitude response for the zonal component below 82°km during summer and from November to December between 84 and 95°km at Andenes and CMOR. The semidiurnal tides (SDTs) show a clear 11-year response at all locations, from October to November. © 2019 by ASME.

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VHF antenna pattern characterization by the observation of meteor head echoes

2017, Renkwitz, Toralf, Schult, Carsten, Latteck, Ralph

The Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) with its active phased array antenna is designed and used for studies of phenomena in the mesosphere and lower atmosphere. The flexible beam forming and steering combined with a large aperture array allows for observations with a high temporal and angular resolution. For both the analysis of the radar data and the configuration of experiments, the actual radiation pattern needs to be known. For that purpose, various simulations as well as passive and active experiments have been conducted. Here, results of meteor head echo observations are presented, which allow us to derive detailed information of the actual radiation pattern for different beam-pointing positions and the current health status of the entire radar. For MAARSY, the described method offers robust beam pointing and width estimations for a minimum of a few days of observations.

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Ozone–gravity wave interaction in the upper stratosphere/lower mesosphere

2022, Gabriel, Axel

The increase in amplitudes of upward propagating gravity waves (GWs) with height due to decreasing density is usually described by exponential growth. Recent measurements show some evidence that the upper stratospheric/lower mesospheric gravity wave potential energy density (GWPED) increases more strongly during the daytime than during the nighttime. This paper suggests that ozone-gravity wave interaction can principally produce such a phenomenon. The coupling between ozone-photochemistry and temperature is particularly strong in the upper stratosphere where the time-mean ozone mixing ratio decreases with height. Therefore, an initial ascent (or descent) of an air parcel must lead to an increase (or decrease) in ozone and in the heating rate compared to the environment, and, hence, to an amplification of the initial wave perturbation. Standard solutions of upward propagating GWs with linear ozone-temperature coupling are formulated, suggesting amplitude amplifications at a specific level during daytime of 5ĝ€¯% to 15ĝ€¯% for low-frequency GWs (periods ≥4ĝ€¯h), as a function of the intrinsic frequency which decreases if ozone-temperature coupling is included. Subsequently, the cumulative amplification during the upward level-by-level propagation leads to much stronger GW amplitudes at upper mesospheric altitudes, i.e., for single low-frequency GWs, up to a factor of 1.5 to 3 in the temperature perturbations and 3 to 9 in the GWPED increasing from summer low to polar latitudes. Consequently, the mean GWPED of a representative range of mesoscale GWs (horizontal wavelengths between 200 and 1100ĝ€¯km, vertical wavelengths between 3 and 9ĝ€¯km) is stronger by a factor of 1.7 to 3.4 (2 to 50ĝ€¯Jĝ€¯kg-1, or 2ĝ€¯% to 50ĝ€¯% in relation to the observed order of 100ĝ€¯Jĝ€¯kg-1, assuming initial GW perturbations of 1 to 2ĝ€¯K in the middle stratosphere). Conclusively, the identified process might be an important component in the middle atmospheric circulation, which has not been considered up to now.

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Long-term studies of mesosphere and lower-thermosphere summer length definitions based on mean zonal wind features observed for more than one solar cycle at middle and high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere

2022, Jaen, Juliana, Renkwitz, Toralf, Chau, Jorge L., He, Maosheng, Hoffmann, Peter, Yamazaki, Yosuke, Jacobi, Christoph, Tsutsumi, Masaki, Matthias, Vivien, Hall, Chris

Specular meteor radars (SMRs) and partial reflection radars (PRRs) have been observing mesospheric winds for more than a solar cycle over Germany (g1/4g54g gN) and northern Norway (g1/4g69g gN). This work investigates the mesospheric mean zonal wind and the zonal mean geostrophic zonal wind from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) over these two regions between 2004 and 2020. Our study focuses on the summer when strong planetary waves are absent and the stratospheric and tropospheric conditions are relatively stable. We establish two definitions of the summer length according to the zonal wind reversals: (1) the mesosphere and lower-thermosphere summer length (MLT-SL) using SMR and PRR winds and (2) the mesosphere summer length (M-SL) using the PRR and MLS. Under both definitions, the summer begins around April and ends around middle September. The largest year-to-year variability is found in the summer beginning in both definitions, particularly at high latitudes, possibly due to the influence of the polar vortex. At high latitudes, the year 2004 has a longer summer length compared to the mean value for MLT-SL as well as 2012 for both definitions. The M-SL exhibits an increasing trend over the years, while MLT-SL does not have a well-defined trend. We explore a possible influence of solar activity as well as large-scale atmospheric influences (e.g., quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), major sudden stratospheric warming events). We complement our work with an extended time series of 31 years at middle latitudes using only PRR winds. In this case, the summer length shows a breakpoint, suggesting a non-uniform trend, and periods similar to those known for ENSO and QBO.

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VAHCOLI, a new concept for lidars: technical setup, science applications, and first measurements

2021, Lübken, Franz-Josef, Höffner, Josef

A new concept for a cluster of compact lidar systems named VAHCOLI (Vertical And Horizontal COverage by LIdars) is presented, which allows for the measurement of temperatures, winds, and aerosols in the middle atmosphere (10 110 km) with high temporal and vertical resolution of minutes and some tens of meters, respectively, simultaneously covering horizontal scales from a few hundred meters to several hundred kilometers ( four-dimensional coverage ). The individual lidars ( units ) being used in VAHCOLI are based on a diode-pumped alexandrite laser, which is currently designed to detect potassium (D 770 nm), and on sophisticated laser spectroscopy measuring all relevant frequencies (seeder laser, power laser, backscattered light) with high temporal resolution (2 ms) and high spectral resolution applying Doppler-free spectroscopy. The frequency of the lasers and the narrowband filter in the receiving system are stabilized to typically 10 100 kHz, which is a factor of roughly 105 smaller than the Doppler-broadened Rayleigh signal. Narrowband filtering allows for the measurement of Rayleigh and/or resonance scattering separately from the aerosol (Mie) signal during both night and day. Lidars used for VAHCOLI are compact (volume: 1m3) and multi-purpose systems which employ contemporary electronic, optical, and mechanical components. The units are designed to autonomously operate under harsh field conditions in remote locations. An error analysis with parameters of the anticipated system demonstrates that temperatures and line-of-sight winds can be measured from the lower stratosphere to the upper mesosphere with an accuracy of (0.1 5)K and (0.1 10)ms1, respectively, increasing with altitude. We demonstrate that some crucial dynamical processes in the middle atmosphere, such as gravity waves and stratified turbulence, can be covered by VAHCOLI with sufficient temporal, vertical, and horizontal sampling and resolution. The four-dimensional capabilities of VAHCOLI allow for the performance of time-dependent analysis of the flow field, for example by employing Helmholtz decomposition, and for carrying out statistical tests regarding, for example, intermittency and helicity. The first test measurements under field conditions with a prototype lidar were performed in January 2020. The lidar operated successfully during a 6-week period (night and day) without any adjustment. The observations covered a height range of 5 100 km and demonstrated the capability and applicability of this unit for the VAHCOLI concept.

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Model simulations of chemical effects of sprites in relation with observed HO2 enhancements over sprite-producing thunderstorms

2021, Winkler, Holger, Yamada, Takayoshi, Kasai, Yasuko, Berger, Uwe, Notholt, Justus

Recently, measurements by the Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb Emission Sounder (SMILES) satellite instrument have been presented which indicate an increase in mesospheric HO2 above sprite-producing thunderstorms. The aim of this paper is to compare these observations to model simulations of chemical sprite effects. A plasma chemistry model in combination with a vertical transport module was used to simulate the impact of a streamer discharge in the altitude range 70–80 km, corresponding to one of the observed sprite events. Additionally, a horizontal transport and dispersion model was used to simulate advection and expansion of the sprite air masses. The model simulations predict a production of hydrogen radicals mainly due to reactions of proton hydrates formed after the electrical discharge. The net effect is a conversion of water molecules into H+OH. This leads to increasing HO2 concentrations a few hours after the electric breakdown. Due to the modelled long-lasting increase in HO2 after a sprite discharge, an accumulation of HO2 produced by several sprites appears possible. However, the number of sprites needed to explain the observed HO2 enhancements is unrealistically large. At least for the lower measurement tangent heights, the production mechanism of HO2 predicted by the model might contribute to the observed enhancements.