CEDAR Post-doc: Mesospheric Acoustic Gravity Wave Imaging and Tomography at a Sub Auroral Site

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ATM9813867This proposal will support the post-doctoral research of Dr. Steven Smith at Boston University's Center for Space Physics. The research will use the Boston University CEDAR Optical Tomography Imaging Facility (COTIF) to study the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MALT). COTIF is a four-site network in New England consisting of an all-sky imager at Millstone Hill and three imaging spectrographs (two in Maine and one in Rhode Island), the only optical facility worldwide capable of ground-based atmospheric emission tomography. This project will take advantage of a new spacing configuration for detecting structure in the 80 to 150 km domain. The study will make use of existing as well as new data. Specific emphasis will be placed on studying the altitude variations of acoustic gravity waves. The data analysis will yield estimates of the vertical momentum flux of gravity waves at two altitudes. The divergence of the vertical flux gives the acceleration or deceleration of the mean wind field by interactions between the neutral winds and waves. Long term seasonal and local time variations in gravity waves will also be investigated