Polar Mesospheric Clouds and Rocket Exhaust in the Arctic Middle Atmosphere: Lidar Observations and Analysis

Details Polar Mesospheric Clouds and Rocket Exhaust in the Arctic Middle Atmosphere: Lidar Observations and Analysis Polar Mesospheric Clouds and Rocket Exhaust in the Arctic Middle Atmosphere: Lidar Observations and Analysis

Dec 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmsa33a1745c&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #SA33A-1745

Physics

[0305] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Aerosols And Particles, [0340] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Middle Atmosphere: Composition And Chemistry, [3349] Atmospheric Processes / Polar Meteorology, [3360] Atmospheric Processes / Remote Sensing

Scientific paper

We report observations of polar mesospheric clouds (PMC) and rocket exhaust by ground-based lidar at Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR), Chatanika, Alaska (65°N, 147°W). The PMC observations have been made in late summer over several years in years when space shuttle launches both did and did not occur. The rocket exhaust observations have been made in late winter and spring on three nights when Black Brandt XII (two) and X (one) rockets were launched at PFRR. The PMCs are observed at altitudes between 80 and 86 km during visual displays. The rocket exhaust is observed at altitudes between 66 and 82 km, with the strongest echoes from the cloud at the higher altitudes. The aerosol backscatter ratios of the clouds and exhaust have magnitudes from 0.1 to 100. We consider the areal extent, seasonal evolution, and environmental conditions of the PMCs as observed by satellites (i.e., EOS-Aura/OMI, NOAA/SBUV, and EOS-Aura/MLS). We analyze the structure of the PMCs in different years in terms of current microphysical models and analyze the characteristics of the clouds in terms of the influence of space shuttle exhaust. We consider the formation of the rocket exhaust in terms of the combustion products of the rocket fuel and the environmental conditions measured by satellites (i.e., UARS/MLS). We compare and contrast the structure of the PMCs and rocket exhaust and discuss them as indicators of atmospheric conditions.

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