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，旨在调查智利北方安第斯山脉上空中层和低热层的动态。目的是描述和理解80至100公里区域的波动现象，包括背景状态相互作用和影响。调查将在智利帕雄山（南纬30.3度，西经70.7度，海拔2530米）新设立的安第斯山脉激光雷达观测站进行。这个位置对于波浪研究来说是非常重要的，因为它是一个陡峭的地形和多产的波浪生成区域，由于该区域的极端干燥和相对缺乏对流，它产生了特别纯粹的地形生成波浪的例子，并且它为亚热带南半球提供了一个区域的数据，该区域目前在行星波，潮汐和重力波方面的特征很差。 ALO的成套仪器包括一台Na风/温度激光雷达、一台全天空成像仪、一台多通道光度计、一台中间层温度测绘仪、一台红外照相机和一台流星雷达，这些仪器将用于观测各种空间和时间尺度上的波和波现象。该项目的目的是在南半球一个山区提供迄今为止最详细的研究，研究连续5年期间不稳定性、重力波、潮汐、行星波和平均风及其相互作用的特点和变化。具体的问题将被解决包括：1）什么是气候的波和波有关的现象在安第斯山脉？2)ALO不稳定性的起源、生命周期和形态是什么？3)什么样的大气条件导致各种波现象的形成？4)潮汐、行星波和重力波之间的相互作用的特点及其对MLT变率的影响是什么？该项目将为所有三所大学的学生提供新的教育和培训机会。在这个项目下，还将与阿根廷的Ciudad Universitaria和澳大利亚的阿德莱德大学开展学生积极参与的国际合作。 该项目期间收集的独特数据集将提供给科学界，并将支持大气科学和天文学领域广泛科学专题的研究。

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.