New Results from In-situ Measurements of Turbulence in the Polar Mesosphere

Physics

Scientific paper

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0300 Atmospheric Composition And Structure, 3379 Turbulence

Scientific paper

Turbulence plays an important role for our understanding of the upper atmosphere since it affects its energy budget by dissipation and heat conduction. Furthermore, it transports photo-chemically active constituents and provides the final step when gravity waves deposit their momentum in the upper mesosphere thereby driving the atmosphere substantially away from radiative equilibrium. In this paper an overview of turbulence acting in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere is presented including a critical review of experimental techniques. Recent results based on rocket borne measurements show a systematic variation of turbulent intensity with season, a rapid transition in spring, and very large variability from flight to flight in the upper polar mesosphere during summer. Here, turbulent heating rates of up to 50-100 K/d have occasionally been observed. This is in striking contrast to the persistency of temperatures at the mesopause region and the sensitivity of the thermal structure to gravity wave breaking. Strong experimental evidence is presented that very strong radar echoes called PMSE (polar mesosphere summer echoes) are most likely not caused by turbulence contrary to some theories presented in the literature.

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