CEDAR: Multi-Diagnostic Investigations of Upper-Atmosphere Dynamics in the Southern Hemisphere

研究人员将在新西兰南岛的约翰山天文台制造、安装和操作一台最先进的全天空成像仪。该仪器将用于调查南半球高层大气的重力波活动和其他几个重要的动力学方面，南半球是地球仪上高层大气观测资料不足的一个区域。成像仪将记录五个独立的大气夜光发射。其中四个排放物来自80-100公里的中层和低热层区域，第五个排放物位于250公里附近的热层。成像测量将与同步多诊断测量相结合，以阐明MLT重力波的季节性发生模式和传播特征。短周期大气重力波约占MLT区域总动量预算的70%。还将研究大气潮汐和行星波的发生和行为，以及与热层动力学有关的几个专题。配置的仪器包括法布里-珀罗干涉仪和流星雷达。观测结果还将与北方半球的测量结果进行比较，以研究MLT动力学的半球间变化。这项研究涉及与新西兰坎特伯雷大学科学家的合作。一名本科生将协助数据处理和分析。调查人员将通过向当地报纸提交专题文章的方式向更广泛的受众展示研究成果，他们还将开发一个专门介绍中间层研究各个方面的网站。

The investigators will fabricate, install, and operate a state-of-the-art all-sky imager at the Mount John Observatory, South Island, New Zealand. The instrument will be used to survey gravity wave activity and several other important dynamical aspects of the upper atmosphere in the southern hemisphere, a region of the globe under-represented in terms of upper atmospheric observations. The imager will record five separate atmospheric nightglow emissions. Four of the emissions originate from the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region at 80-100 km, and the fifth is located in the thermosphere near 250 km. The imaging measurements will be combined with simultaneous multi-diagnostic measurements to elucidate the seasonal patterns of occurrence and the propagation characteristics of MLT gravity waves. Short-period atmospheric gravity waves contribute approximately 70 percent of the total momentum budget in the MLT region. The occurrence and behavior of atmospheric tides and planetary waves will also be investigated, as well as several topics related to thermospheric dynamics. Collocated instruments include a Fabry-Perot interferometer and a meteor radar. The observations will also be compared with northern hemisphere measurements to study inter-hemispheric variations in MLT dynamics. The study involves a collaboration with scientists at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. An undergraduate student will assist with data processing and analysis. The investigators will expose the research to a wider audience by submitting feature-style articles to local newspapers, and they will develop a website devoted to aspects of mesospheric research.