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.