CEDAR: Modeling Mesospheric Gravity Waves Using Starfire and Meso-D Data

该项目将利用从星火和Meso-D活动中获得的大量高质量数据，严格测试描述重力波及其与中间层化学过程和相关夜光相互作用的模型。 PI已经取得了相当大的进展，在模拟重力波的影响，在中间层/低热层区域的次要物种的分布，以及随后的扰动，在气辉排放涉及这些次要物种。 此外，他还开发了一个描述非均匀大气中重力波传播的现实全波模型。 化学/夜光微扰模型已与他们的全波模型，提供了一个强大的工具，探索重力波与化学和夜光过程的相互作用。 然而，他被要求在模拟中做出假设，由于缺乏确凿的测量结果，这些假设无法得到验证。 利用Starfire和Meso-D数据集，PI将通过在模型中纳入真实的背景风和温度分布，对观测到的夜光波动进行逼真的模拟。 这将为PI提供一个独特的机会，通过定量评估波的能量学来进一步表征波及其在该地区的影响，评估波对平均状态的强迫，并阐明高层和低层大气之间的耦合。

This project will rigorously test models describing gravity waves and their interaction with chemical processes and associated nightglow in the mesosphere, using extensive, high-quality data derived from the Starfire and Meso-D campaigns. The PI has already progressed considerably in modeling the effects of gravity waves on the distributions of minor species in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere region, and of subsequent perturbations in the airglow emissions involving these minor species. In addition, he has developed a realistic full-wave model describing gravity wave propagation in an inhomogeneous atmosphere. The chemical/nightglow perturbation model has been linked with their full-wave model to provide a powerful tool for exploring gravity wave interactions with chemical and nightglow processes. However, he was required to make assumptions in simulations that couldn't be tested due to lack of corroborative measurements. With the Starfire and Meso-D data sets, the PI will perform realistic simulations of observed nightglow fluctuations by incorporating realistic background winds and temperature profiles in the model. This will provide a unique opportunity for the PI to further characterize waves and their effects in the region by quantitatively evaluating the energetics of the waves, evaluate the forcing of the mean state by the waves, and elucidate the coupling between the upper and lower atmosphere.