CEDAR: Low and Mid Latitude Imager Observations of Waves and Wave-Induced Phenomena in the Airglow

CEDAR：低纬度和中纬度成像仪对气辉中波浪和波浪诱发现象的观测

• 批准号: 0737557
• 负责人: James Hecht
• 金额: $ 24万
• 依托单位: Aerospace Corporation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-01-01 至 2011-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0737557&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CEDAR; Low; Mid; Latitude; Imager

The 80 to 100 km altitude regime, commonly known as the MALT (upper Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere), is a region of the atmosphere where the mean-state is largely controlled by waves and wave-driven process. Wave instabilities related to wave breakdown play a key role in the MALT, inducing the deposition of wave momentum deposition and eddy mixing. Characterization of these processes is essential for comprehensive understanding and modeling of the MALT region. Modern, automated airglow imagers provide a unique platform for studying a wide range of waves and instabilities and are able to collect data nearly continuously over long periods of time, which is essential for climatological studies. This project will provide multiple measurements and observational analyses that address outstanding questions concerning the role of wave and instabilities in the MALT: (A) Which type of instability, convective or dynamic, is better correlated with the presence of instabilities in airglow images? (B) How common are evanescent waves in airglow images? Can they be related to parametric instability, and/or are they correlated with the presence of convectively-formed ripples? (C) How significantly do gravity waves affect the airglow temperature and intensity climatology of the MALT in the Australian sector? Does their variability correlate with differences between observations and the TIME-GCM model? (D) Can airglow observations of atmospheric gravity waves distinguish between local or distant convective sources? (E) How are periods of unusually intense airglow or strong mesospheric bores related to gravity waves or modifications of the background state by planetary waves, such as the two-day wave?Airglow data from three existing Aerospace imagers will be used to address these questions. A single imager will be deployed in coordination with the upgraded University of Illinois lidar, which will be redeployed to a site near Cerro Tololo Chile. This imager was previously used during the MauiMALT campaign; continuing operation of the imager with the improved lidar is expected to improve upon results obtained during that successful campaign. The remaining two imagers will remain in Adelaide and Alice Springs, Australia. These imagers have been operating nearly continuously for the past five years, yielding a vast amount of climatological and gravity wave data in the unique Australian sector. A lidar will soon be added to the suite of ground-based instrumentation at Adelaide, which currently includes radar and airglow spectrometers. The Australian sites therefore provide a unique opportunity for both multiple-instrument and multiple-imager observations of the MALT region. The broader impacts of the project include the following: (1) the establishment and maintenance of an infrastructure of advanced airglow imagers; (2) the provision of the observational database to the entire scientific community via a website, including data to be used for student thesis research; (3) collaborations with US and international scientists, encouraging access to varied data sets and resources; (4) the support of other coordinated multi-instrument investigations at the imager sites; and (5) journal publications and scientific presentations.

80到100公里的高度区域，俗称MALT(上层中间层和下层热层)，是大气中的一个区域，在那里平均状态在很大程度上受波浪和波浪驱动过程的控制。与波浪破碎有关的波不稳定性在MALT中起着关键作用，导致波动量沉积和涡旋混合。对这些过程的表征对于全面了解和模拟麦芽区域是至关重要的。现代的自动化气辉成像仪为研究各种波动和不稳定性提供了一个独特的平台，能够在很长一段时间内几乎不间断地收集数据，这对气候学研究至关重要。该项目将提供多种测量和观测分析，以解决有关波在MALT中的作用和不稳定性的悬而未决的问题：(A)哪种类型的不稳定性，对流的或动力学的，与气辉图像中存在的不稳定性更相关？(B)气辉图像中的逝去波有多常见？它们是否与参数不稳定性有关，和/或是否与对流形成的波纹的存在有关？(C)重力波对澳大利亚部门麦芽的气辉温度和强度气候学有多大影响？它们的可变性是否与观察值和时间-GCM模型之间的差异相关？(D)大气重力波的气辉观测能否区分本地或远距离对流源？(E)异常强烈的气辉或强烈的中间层孔周期与重力波或行星波对背景状态的改变有何关系，例如两天波？现有的三台航空航天成像仪的气辉数据将用于解决这些问题。将在升级后的伊利诺伊大学激光雷达的协调下部署一个成像仪，该雷达将被重新部署到智利塞罗托洛洛附近的一个地点。该成像仪以前曾在MauiMALT战役中使用；改进后的激光雷达继续使用成像仪，预计将在那次成功战役期间取得的结果基础上有所改善。剩下的两个成像器将留在澳大利亚的阿德莱德和爱丽丝·斯普林斯。在过去的五年里，这些成像仪几乎一直在连续运行，在独特的澳大利亚部分产生了大量的气候和重力波数据。阿德莱德的地面仪器将很快增加一台激光雷达，目前包括雷达和气辉光谱仪。因此，澳大利亚的地点为多仪器和多成像仪对麦芽地区的观测提供了独特的机会。该项目的更广泛影响包括：(1)建立和维护先进的气辉成像仪基础设施；(2)通过网站向整个科学界提供观测数据库，包括用于学生论文研究的数据；(3)与美国和国际科学家合作，鼓励查阅各种数据集和资源；(4)支持成像仪地点的其他协调多仪器调查；(5)出版期刊和科学简报。