Collaborative Research: Dynamics in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere over the Andes Lidar Observatory

这是一项为期5年的科学合作，旨在研究智利北部安第斯山脉上空中间层和低热层(MLT)的动力学。其目的是描述和理解80至100公里区域的波动现象学，包括背景状态相互作用和影响。调查将在新成立的安第斯激光雷达观测站(ALO)进行，该观测站位于智利塞罗帕松(30.3°S，西经70.7°，2530米)。这一位置对波浪研究具有独特的重要意义，因为它是一个地形陡峭和多产的地区，由于该地区极度干燥和相对缺乏对流，它产生了特别纯粹的地形产生的波浪的例子，它提供了一个区域--亚热带南半球的数据，该区域目前在行星波、潮汐和重力波方面的特征很差。ALO的整套仪器包括一台纳风/温度激光雷达、一台全天成像仪、一台多通道光度计、一台中层温度测绘仪、一台红外相机和一台流星雷达，该雷达将用于在广泛的空间和时间尺度上观测海浪和海浪现象。该项目的目的是在南半球山区对不稳定、重力波、潮汐、行星波和平均风的特征和可变性及其在连续5年期间的相互作用进行最详细的研究。将讨论的具体问题包括：1)安第斯山脉上波动的气候学和与波动相关的现象学？2)ALO不稳定的起源、生命周期和形态？3)大气条件导致各种波动现象的形成？4)潮汐、行星波和重力波之间相互作用的特征及其对MLT变异性的影响？该项目将为所有参与的三所大学的学生提供新的教育和培训机会。在这一项目下，还将与阿根廷城市大学和澳大利亚阿德莱德大学开展有学生大力参与的国际合作。在该项目期间收集的独特数据集将向科学界提供，并将支持对大气科学和天文学的各种科学专题的研究。

This is a 5-year scientific collaboration to investigate the dynamics in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) over the Andes Mountains in northern Chile. The objective is to characterize and understand wave phenomenology in the 80 to 100 km region, including background state interactions and effects. The investigation will be carried out at the newly established Andes Lidar Observatory (ALO) at Cerro Pachón (30.3°S, 70.7°W, 2530 m), Chile. This location is uniquely important for wave studies because it is a region of steep terrain and prolific wave generation that produces particularly pure examples of terrain generated waves due to the extreme dryness of the area and relative lack of convection, and it provides data for a region, the subtropical Southern Hemisphere, that currently is poorly characterized in terms of planetary waves, tides and gravity waves. The suite of instruments at ALO comprises a Na wind/temperature lidar, an all sky imager, a multichannel photometer, a mesospheric temperature mapper, an infrared camera, and a meteor radar, which will be used to observe waves and wave phenomena over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales. The project aims to provide the most detailed study to date from a Southern Hemisphere mountainous site of the characteristics and variability of instabilities, gravity waves, tides, planetary waves and mean winds and their interactions over a continuous 5-year period. Specific questions that will be addressed include: 1) What is the climatology of waves and wave related phenomenology over the Andes?2) What are the origins, lifecycle and morphology of instabilities at ALO?3) What atmospheric conditions lead to the formation of various wave phenomena?4) What are the characteristics of the interactions between tides, planetary waves and gravity waves and their effects on the MLT variability? The project will provide new education and training opportunities for students at all three universities involved. International collaborations with strong student involvement will also be pursued under this project with the Ciudad Universitaria, Argentina and the University of Adelaide, Australia. The unique dataset collected during this project will be made available to the scientific community and will support research on a wide range of scientific topics in both atmospheric science and astronomy.