Simultaneous observations of a Mesospheric Inversion Layer and turbulence during the ECOMA-2010 rocket campaign

Szewczyk, Artur; Strelnikov, Boris; Rapp, Markus; Strelnikova, Irina; Baumgarten, Gerd; Kaifler, Natalie; Dunker, Tim; Hoppe, Ulf-Peter

doi:10.5194/angeo-31-775-2013

Cited by 40 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…The same data reveal turbulence layers with very high energy dissipation values at those heights. Interestingly, such a strong temperature enhancement of 40 K accompanied by vigorous turbulence that was measured by the WADIS-1 rocket was also observed by Szewczyk et al (2013) and led to a mesospheric temperature inversion layer (MIL). In their case a MIL was seen for a long time in lidar data and also revealed a mesoscale extent as was inferred from satellite temperature measurements.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Spatial and temporal variability in MLT turbulence inferred from in situ and ground-based observations during the WADIS-1 sounding rocket campaign

et al. 2017

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Abstract. In summer 2013 the WADIS-1 sounding rocket campaign was conducted at the Andøya Space Center (ACS) in northern Norway (69 • N, 16 • E). Among other things, it addressed the question of the variability in mesosphere/lower thermosphere (MLT) turbulence, both in time and space. A unique feature of the WADIS project was multi-point turbulence sounding applying different measurement techniques including rocket-borne ionization gauges, VHF MAARSY radar, and VHF EISCAT radar near Tromsø. This allowed for horizontal variability to be observed in the turbulence field in the MLT at scales from a few to 100 km. We found that the turbulence dissipation rate, ε varied in space in a wavelike manner both horizontally and in the vertical direction. This wavelike modulation reveals the same vertical wavelengths as those seen in gravity waves. We also found that the vertical mean value of radar observations of ε agrees reasonably with rocket-borne measurements. In this way defined ε radar value reveals clear tidal modulation and results in variation by up to 2 orders of magnitude with periods of 24 h. The ε radar value also shows 12 h and shorter (1 to a few hours) modulations resulting in one decade of variation in ε radar magnitude. The 24 h modulation appeared to be in phase with tidal change of horizontal wind observed by SAURA-MF radar. Such wavelike and, in particular, tidal modulation of the turbulence dissipation field in the MLT region inferred from our analysis is a new finding of this work.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Spatial and temporal variability in MLT turbulence inferred from in situ and ground-based observations during the WADIS-1 sounding rocket campaign

et al. 2017

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“…According to experimental data (Lübken, 1997;Bishop et al, 2004;Szewczyk et al, 2013), the energy dissipation rate can range from 0.1 to 2 W kg −1 . According to Eq.…”

Section: N Vlasov and M C Kelley: Eddy Diffusion And Similaritymentioning

confidence: 99%

Eddy diffusion coefficients and their upper limits based on application of the similarity theory

Vlasov

Kelley

2015

Ann. Geophys.

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Abstract. The equation for the diffusion velocity in the mesosphere and the lower thermosphere (MLT) includes the terms for molecular and eddy diffusion. These terms are very similar. For the first time, we show that, by using the similarity theory, the same formula can be obtained for the eddy diffusion coefficient as the commonly used formula derived by Weinstock (1981). The latter was obtained by taking, as a basis, the integral function for diffusion derived by Taylor (1921) and the three-dimensional Kolmogorov kinetic energy spectrum. The exact identity of both formulas means that the eddy diffusion and heat transport coefficients used in the equations, both for diffusion and thermal conductivity, must meet a criterion that restricts the outer eddy scale to being much less than the scale height of the atmosphere. This requirement is the same as the requirement that the free path of molecules must be much smaller than the scale height of the atmosphere. A further result of this criterion is that the eddy diffusion coefficients K ed , inferred from measurements of energy dissipation rates, cannot exceed the maximum value of 3.2 × 10 6 cm 2 s −1 for the maximum value of the energy dissipation rate of 2 W kg −1 measured in the mesosphere and the lower thermosphere (MLT). This means that eddy diffusion coefficients larger than the maximum value correspond to eddies with outer scales so large that it is impossible to use these coefficients in eddy diffusion and eddy heat transport equations. The application of this criterion to the different experimental data shows that some reported eddy diffusion coefficients do not meet this criterion. For example, the large values of these coefficients (1 × 10 7 cm 2 s −1 ) estimated in the Turbulent Oxygen Mixing Experiment (TOMEX) do not correspond to this criterion. The K ed values inferred at high latitudes by Lübken (1997) meet this criterion for summer and winter polar data, but the K ed values for summer at low latitudes are larger than the K ed maximum value corresponding to the criterion. Analysis of the experimental data on meteor train observations shows that energy dissipation with a small rate of about 0.2 W kg −1 sometimes can induce turbulence with eddy scales very close to the scale height of the atmosphere. Our results also explain the discrepancy between the large cooling rates calculated by Vlasov and Kelley (2014) and the temperatures given by the MSIS-E-90 model because, in these cases, the measured eddy diffusion coefficients used in calculating the cooling rates are larger than the maximum value presented above.

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“…Throughout December, the temperatures appear to be normal for the winter season (Lübken and von Zahn, 1991;Neuber et 1988), with the exception of 13 December. The temperature generally decreases with increasing altitude throughout December 2010, but this changes on 13 December, when temperatures increases at 85, 91 and 97 km and a mesospheric inversion layer is observed (see Szewczyk et al, 2012, for the study of a mesospheric inversion layer on 19 December 2010). On 13 December, the Na lidar measured the highest temperatures between 90 and 95 km.…”

Section: Sodium Layermentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of the mesospheric Na layer at 69° N during the Geminids meteor shower 2010

et al. 2013

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Abstract. The ECOMA sounding rocket campaign in 2010 was performed to investigate the charge state and number density of meteoric smoke particles during the Geminids meteor shower in December 2010. The ALOMAR Na lidar contributed to the campaign with measurements of sodium number density, temperature and line-of-sight wind between 80 and 110 km altitude over Andøya in northern Norway. This paper investigates a possible connection between the Geminids meteor shower and the mesospheric sodium layer. We compare with data from a meteor radar and from a rocketborne in situ particle instrument on three days. Our main result is that the sodium column density is smaller during the Geminids meteor shower than the winter average at the same latitude. Moreover, during two of the three years considered, the sodium column density decreased steadily during these three weeks of the year. Both the observed decrease of Na column density by 30 % and of meteoric smoke particle column density correlate well with a corresponding decrease of sporadic meteor echoes. We found no correlation between Geminids meteor flux rates and sodium column density, nor between sporadic meteors and Na column density (R = 0.25). In general, we found the Na column density to be at very low values for winter, between 1.8 and 2.6 × 10 13 m −2 . We detected two meteor trails containing sodium, on 13 December 2010 at 87.1 km and on 19 December 2010 at 84 km. From these meteor trails, we estimate a global meteoric Na flux of 121 kg d −1 and a global total meteoric influx of 20.2 t d −1 .

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Simultaneous observations of a Mesospheric Inversion Layer and turbulence during the ECOMA-2010 rocket campaign

Cited by 40 publications

References 36 publications

Spatial and temporal variability in MLT turbulence inferred from in situ and ground-based observations during the WADIS-1 sounding rocket campaign

Spatial and temporal variability in MLT turbulence inferred from in situ and ground-based observations during the WADIS-1 sounding rocket campaign

Eddy diffusion coefficients and their upper limits based on application of the similarity theory

Development of the mesospheric Na layer at 69° N during the Geminids meteor shower 2010

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