Simultaneous Observations of Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes at 69 and 73 Degrees South

Details Simultaneous Observations of Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes at 69 and 73 Degrees South Simultaneous Observations of Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes at 69 and 73 Degrees South

May 2008

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agusmsa41d..07n&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2008, abstract #SA41D-07

Physics

0305 Aerosols And Particles (0345, 4801, 4906), 0342 Middle Atmosphere: Energy Deposition (3334), 3311 Clouds And Aerosols, 3334 Middle Atmosphere Dynamics (0341, 0342), 6952 Radar Atmospheric Physics (1220)

Scientific paper

We compare VHF radar PMSE data from the Swedish/Finnish station Wasa/Aboa at 73° south latitude with observations from the Australian station Davis at 69° south latitude, and the ESRAD radar in Kiruna, Sweden (69° north latitude). Data from Wasa were obtained from 18 January 2007 to 5 February 2007 in a first campaign, and then from 5 December 2007 to 31 January 2008. (ESRAD and the radar at Davis operates continuously). Although Wasa is at a higher geographic latitude than Davis and Kiruna, it is at lower geomagnetic latitude (61.3° for Wasa, 64.8° for Kiruna, and 74.4° for Davis). For the first comparison period, PMSE strength and occurrence frequency turned out to be similar between Wasa/Aboa and Kiruna but much higher at Wasa/Aboa than at Davis . Mesopause temperature and frostpoint estimates from the Aura satellite showed generally more favorable conditions for PMSE occurrence above Wasa/Aboa than above Davis. The day-to-day variation of daily PMSE occurrence over the measurement period was also in agreement with the Aura temperature and frost-point estimates for both Wasa and Davis. The local solar time diurnal variation of PMSE strength and occurrence frequency were similar for the three sites. The shape of the altitude profiles of average PMSE strength and occurrence frequency were similar for the three sites when a few extreme events had been removed, with about 1 km higher mean PMSE height for the Antarctic sites compared to Kiruna. These results showed that PMSE strength and occurrence increase between 68.6° and 73° geographic latitude, that geographic latitude is more important than geomagnetic latitude, and that the average altitude distribution of PMSE varies relatively little with latitude in the same hemisphere. We will also show preliminary results from the longer observation period during the 2007/2008 southern summer. PMSE occurrence started at very high altitude, in the altitude range 85 to 95 km. In the end of the season the altitude range was the more usual 80 to 90 km. Such a large change of altitude of the PMSE has not occurred in 10 years of data from the ESRAD radar in Kiruna in the northern hemisphere. We compare with AURA MLS data and discuss possible explanations for the unusually high mesopause in early austral summer 2007/2008.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Simultaneous Observations of Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes at 69 and 73 Degrees South does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Simultaneous Observations of Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes at 69 and 73 Degrees South, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Simultaneous Observations of Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes at 69 and 73 Degrees South will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1398523