John W. Meriwether

An update to the Horizontal Wind Model (HWM): The quiet time thermosphere

The Horizontal Wind Model (HWM) has been updated in the thermosphere with new observations and formulation changes. These new data are ground-based 630 nm Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FPI) measurements in the equatorial and polar regions, as well as cross-track winds from the Gravity Field and Steady State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite. The GOCE wind observations provide valuable wind data in the twilight regions. The ground-based FPI measurements fill latitudinal data gaps in the prior observational database. Construction of this reference model also provides the opportunity to compare these new measurements. The resulting update (HWM14) provides an improved time-dependent, observationally based, global empirical specification of the upper atmospheric general circulation patterns and migrating tides. In basic agreement with existing accepted theoretical knowledge of the thermosphere general circulation, additional calculations indicate that the empirical wind specifications are self-consistent with climatological ionosphere plasma distribution and electric field patterns.

A review of the mesosphere inversion layer phenomenon

An active topic of current research in aeronomy is the study of the dynamics of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) from 60 to 130 km, especially in regard to the influences that govern variability. The physical processes of this region are diverse and complex with strong coupling between the MLT and the adjacent atmospheric regions brought about largely by the propagation and dissipation of atmospheric gravity waves (GWs) from sources above and below. The measurements of MLT winds and temperatures required for such studies represent daunting technical challenges. At low and midlatitudes the mesosphere inversion layer (MIL) phenomenon, a ∼10 km wide region of enhanced temperatures (ΔT ∼ 15–50K), is observed with great regularity in both the upper mesosphere (60–70 km) and the mesopause (90–100 km). Observations are largely based upon Rayleigh and Na temperature lidar systems but coherent radar observations have shown that the MIL phenomenon is linked to layers of turbulence occurring in both the topside and the bottomside regions. GW activity is believed to play an important role in the development of a linkage between the MIL and the tidal structure through GW coupling that results in an amplification of the tidal thermal structure. This linkage is readily evident for the upper MIL but is seen only occasionally for the lower MIL. Further study of MIL properties should emphasize continual 24 hour temperature observations, especially for the lower MIL region, to confirm the linkage of the development of the MIL to the MLT tidal structure.

Testing the thermospheric neutral wind suppression mechanism for day-to-day variability of equatorial spread F

The determination of the physical processes that cause the day-to-day variability of equatorial spread F (ESF) has long been one of the outstanding problems in terrestrial space physics. Within the context of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability model for ESF, mechanisms that either enhance or inhibit the growth of a seed perturbation offer potential sources of variability that can be tested. In this study the hypothesis that enhanced thermospheric meridional winds play a critical role in suppressing ESF is examined during the Multi-Instrumented Studies of Equatorial Thermospheric Aeronomy (MISETA) campaign of September 1998. New, high-time-resolution Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) observations at 6300-A nightglow made at Arequipa (Peru) provided the neutral wind measurements during the critical postsunset hours that had been sampled only sparsely in earlier morphology studies. Evidence of local ESF activity was obtained using GPS-based observations of phase fluctuations (Fp) and 6300-A all-sky optical images from the same site. Additional GPS measurements of Fp and total electron content (TEC) from Bogota (Colombia) and Santiago (Chile) were used to determine the full flux tube development of ESF plumes and to characterize the F region morphology of the interhemispheric Appleton anomaly. Correlative studies between the nightly magnitudes of the meridional winds (Um), ESF activity (Fp), and indices describing the strength (Is) and asymmetry (Ia) of the Appleton anomaly offered no convincing evidence for the wind suppression mechanism. The best available precursor for premidnight ESF appeared to be the strength of the electrodynamically driven Appleton anomaly pattern at sunset. If one assumes that the required seed perturbation for ESF onset is essentially always available, then for all practical purposes, the magnitude of the eastward electric field that causes upward drift is both the necessary and sufficient parameter to forecast ESF with reasonable success. These results reconfirm 60 years of study pointing to the dominance of electrodynamical processes in the onset and growth of plasma instabilities at low latitudes.

Observed coupling of the mesosphere inversion layer to the thermal tidal structure

Rayleigh lidar observations of mesosphere temperature profiles obtained from 40 to ∼100 km from Logan, Utah (41.7, 111.8 W, altitude, 1.9 km) over 10 nights in late February, 1995, revealed an interesting development between 60 to 75 km of a winter mesosphere inversion layer with an amplitude of ∼20–30 K and a downward phase progression of ∼1 km/hr. The data also showed two altitude regions exhibiting significant cooling of 10–30 K in extent. These were located below and above the peak of the inversion layer, respectively, at altitudes of ∼50–55 km and ∼70–80 km. When these results were compared with the predictions of a global wave scale model (GSWM), the observed thermal mesosphere structure is similar to the computed composite tidal structure based upon the semi-diurnal and diurnal tides with the exception that observed amplitudes of heating and cooling are ∼10x larger than predicted GSWM values. We suggest that these events over Utah are caused through a localized mechanism involving the coupling of gravity waves to the mesopause tidal structure.

Equatorial and low latitude thermospheric winds: Measured quiet time variations with season and solar flux from 1980 to 1990

Thermospheric winds have been systematically determined at Arequipa, Peru, and Arecibo, Puerto Rico, from Fabry-Perot interferometer measurements of Doppler shifts in the nightglow 630 nm line. The wind databases (1983 - 1990 at Arequipa and 1980 - 1990 at Arecibo) have been edited to eliminate measurements during geomagnetically disturbed conditions, then sorted by season and solar flux level. Following this, they were averaged to obtain the climatological behavior of the nighttime wind variations at the two locations. A new averaging technique, multivariate regression analysis, has been applied to the data, and the results compared to our prior binning averages. The observed wind behaviors at the Arequipa and Arecibo Observatories, which are at equal geographic latitudes on opposite sides of the equator, are contrasted to establish the seasonal flow patterns. The regression analysis results have then been compared with the predicted behavior provided by the National Center for Atmospheric Researchs Thermosphere-lonosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model. In many cases, qualitative agreement between measurements and predictions is found as to wind directions and temporal variations, with differences in magnitude of - 0-50 m/s. However, some striking differences are found that may arise from ionosphere-thermosphere coupling effects. The overall results provide an important step in establishing the climatology of the thermospheric winds at equatorial and low-latitude sites.

Is chemical heating a major cause of the mesosphere inversion layer

A region of thermal enhancement of the mesosphere has been detected on numerous occasions by in situ measurements, remote sensing from space, and lidar techniques. The source of these “temperature inversion layers” has been attributed in the literature to the dissipation relating to dynamical forcing by gravity wave or tidal activity. However, the conclusion that the dynamics of the mesopause region is the principal source for such anomalies is open to question. While it is certain that the dynamics of gravity wave breaking plays an important role in providing the source of momentum flux required to drive the diabatic circulation, evidence that gravity wave breaking can produce the inversion layer with amplitude as large as that observed in lidar measurements has been limited to results of numerical modeling. We note that an alternative source exists for the production of the thermal inversion layer in the mesosphere, i.e., the direct deposition of heat by exothermic chemical reactions. Two-dimensional modeling combining a comprehensive model of the mesosphere photochemistry with the dynamical transport of long-lived species shows that the region from 80 to 95 km may be heated as much as 3 to 10 K/d during the night and half this rate during the day. Given the uncertainties in our understanding of the dynamics and chemistry for the mesopause region, separating the two sources by passive observations of the mesosphere thermal structure looks to be difficult. Therefore we have considered an active means for producing a mesopause thermal layer, namely the release of ozone into the upper mesosphere from a rocket payload. The induced effects would include artificial enhancements of the OH and Na airglow intensities as well as the mesopause thermal structure. The advantage of the rocket release of ozone is that detection of these effects by ground-based imaging, radar, and lidar systems and comparison of these effects with model predictions would help quantify the partition of the artificial inversion layer production into sources of dynamical and chemical forcing.

All-sky imaging observations of mesospheric fronts in OI 557.7 nm and broadband OH airglow emissions: Analysis of frontal structure, atmospheric background conditions, and potential sourcing mechanisms

[1] All-sky imaging observations of distinct, large horizontal transient mesospheric structures with a spatial scale of ∼100 km detected in images of broadband OH and OI 557.7 nm airglow emissions were made over Clemson, South Carolina, on the night of 14-15 October 2001. We designate these structures as mesospheric fronts and present a detailed summary of this night series of observations, paying particular attention to the details of the different frontal structures, the wave-like activity seen throughout the night, and the background atmospheric conditions. These data are compared to other observations of similar mesospheric fronts found in the literature, and we seek to understand them in relation to mesospheric bores, ducted gravity waves, mesospheric wall events, and nonlinear gravity wave interactions. We find that the observed frontal characteristics and the atmospheric background structure exhibit a close resemblance to previous observations of mesospheric bores. Owing to this similarity, and supported by gravity wave ray-tracing experiments, we propose a sequence of events that generated the mesospheric fronts observed in the airglow emission. Furthermore, we note this similarity in atmospheric structure suggests a potential means of predicting the occurrence of such mesospheric phenomena.

Thermospheric poleward wind surge at midlatitudes during great storm intervals

United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Living with a Star NNX15AB83G)

Simulation and analysis of a multi-order imaging Fabry–Perot interferometer for the study of thermospheric winds and temperatures

We describe an analysis procedure for estimating the thermospheric winds and temperatures from the multi-order two-dimensional (2D) interferograms produced by an imaging Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) as imaged by a CCD detector. We also present a forward model describing the 2D interferograms. To investigate the robustness and accuracy of the analysis, we perform several Monte Carlo simulations using this forward model for an FPI that has recently been developed and deployed to northeastern Brazil. The first simulation shows that a slight cross-contamination at high temperatures exists between neighboring orders in the interferogram, introducing a bias in the estimated temperatures and increasing errors in both the estimated temperatures and winds when each order is analyzed in full. The second simulation investigates how using less than an entire order in the analysis reduces the cross contamination observed in the first set of simulations, improving the accuracy of the estimated temperatures. The last simulation investigates the effect of the signal-to-noise ratio on the errors in the estimated parameters. It is shown that, for the specific FPI simulated in this study, a signal-to-noise ratio of 1.5 is required to obtain thermospheric wind errors of 5 m/s and temperature errors of 20 K.

Large-Scale Measurements of Thermospheric Dynamics with a Multisite Fabry-Perot Interferometer Network: Overview of Plans and Results from Midlatitude Measurements

The North American Thermosphere Ionosphere Observing Network (NATION), comprising a new network of Fabry-Perot interferometers (FPIs), to be deployed in the Midwest of the United States of America is described. FPIs will initially be deployed to four sites to make coordinated measurements of the neutral winds and temperature in the Earths thermosphere using measurements of the 630 nm redline emission. The observing strategy of the network will take into account local observing conditions, and common volume measurements from multiple sites will be made in order to estimate local vector wind quantities. The network described is expandable, and as additional FPI sites are installed in North America, or elsewhere, the goal of providing the upper atmospheric research community with a robust dataset of neutral winds and temperatures can be achieved.