In:
Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, Copernicus GmbH, Vol. 14, No. 7 ( 2021-07-21), p. 5015-5027
Abstract:
Abstract. A 31 MHz meteor radar located in Svalbard was used to observe
polar mesospheric echoes (PMSEs) during summer 2020. Data from 19 July were
selected for detailed analysis, with a focus on extracting additional
information to characterize the atmosphere in the PMSE region. The use of an
all-sky meteor radar adds an additional use to data collected for meteor
observations and enables the detection of PMSE layers across a wide field of
view. Comparison with data from a 53.5 MHz narrow-beam mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere (MST) radar shows
good agreement in the morphology of the layer as detected between the two
systems. Doppler spectra of PMSE layers reveal fine structure, including
regions of enhanced return that move across the radar's field of view. Examination of the
relationship between range and Doppler shift of off-zenith portions of the
layer enables the estimation of wind speeds with high temporal resolution
during PMSE conditions. Trials demonstrate good agreement between wind speeds
obtained from PMSE Doppler spectra and those calculated from specular meteor
trail radial velocities. Combined with the antenna polar diagram of the radar,
this same relationship was used to infer the aspect sensitivity of observed
PMSE backscatter, yielding a mean backscatter angular width of 6.8±3.3∘. A comparison of underdense meteor radar echo decay times
during and outside of PMSE conditions did not demonstrate a strong correlation
between the presence of PMSEs and shortened underdense meteor radar echo
durations.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1867-8548
DOI:
10.5194/amt-14-5015-2021
Language:
English
Publisher:
Copernicus GmbH
Publication Date:
2021
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2505596-3
