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Correlative radar and airborne sodium lidar observations of the vertical and horizontal structure of gravity waves near the mesopause

1990; American Geophysical Union; Volume: 95; Issue: D9 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1029/jd095id09p13737

2156-2202

Kang H. Kwon, Chester S. Gardner, S. K. Avery, James Avery,

Atmospheric Ozone and Climate

In November 1986, joint radar and Na lidar observations were conducted in Colorado to study mesopause dynamics. The radar observations were conducted at Platteville, Colorado with a Stratosphere Troposphere (ST) radar in a meteor echo detection mode. The Na lidar observations included ground‐based observations at Broomfield and Denver, Colorado, and airbome observations during three flights over the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and Pacific Coast. Both radar and lidar identified a 6‐hour wave that was remarkably coherent during the November campaign. The vertical wavelength of the 6‐hour wave estimated from the radar data was 8 to 9 km, the amplitude of the zonal wind component was 10 m S −1 , and the amplitude of the meridional wind component was 4 m s −1 . The vertical wavelength estimated from the ground‐based and airborne lidar data was 7.3 km, and the amplitude of the scalar horizontal wind ranged from 13 to 16 m s −1 . The zonal wavelength of this wave was approximately 772 km, and the intrinsic zonal phase velocity was 35 m s −1 westward. The 6‐hour wave was dominant in the height range of 80–90 km, which corresponds to the bottomside of the Na layer. An additional 2‐hour wave was observed with the Na lidar during both the ground‐based and airborne observations. The vertical wavelength of this wave was about 12 km, and the zonal wavelength was 260 km. The intrinsic zonal phase velocity was 43 m s −1 westward. This 2‐hour wave was also present only on the bottomside of the Na layer.