Maui/MALT: Coordinated Seasonal Investigations of Gravity Wave Characteristics and Mesospheric Temperature Variability

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The investigators will deploy an all-sky imager to perform mesosphere temperature mapping at the Air Force's high altitude Space Surveillance facility on Maui. The Air Force and the National Science Foundation are jointly funding a campaign to study the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere (MALT), referred to as Maui/MALT. The investigators will participate in the Maui/MALT campaign by (1) providing unique data on gravity wave and tidal characteristics and their induced intensity and temperature perturbations, and (2) providing frequent measurements of mesospheric temperature and intensity variability at two heights. Measurements will be made over a two-year period permitting long-term, seasonal studies of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. The long-term measurements will complement and enhance the wind and temperature measurements to be made by a coincident lidar instrument coupled to the 3.67m Advanced Electro-Optical System telescope. These studies contribute to knowledge of the dynamics and energetics of the middle atmosphere and its sensitivity to global change.