CEDAR Postdoc: Meteoric Smoke Studies at High Latitude using the Poker Flat ISR

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。该项目旨在利用阿拉斯加州Poker Flat非相干散射雷达（PFISR）的d区观测数据，以及之前在阿雷西博天文台获得的大量测量数据，对极地中间层的大气烟雾颗粒进行全面调查。PFISR观测将用于描述和量化颗粒的大小和密度分布，作为当地时间、海拔和季节的函数，并将包括已经进行的观测和新的测量，以确保覆盖所有季节和不同程度的地磁活动。PFISR数据将与阿雷西博观测和流星输入函数模型相结合，以确定大气烟雾颗粒特征与大气通量之间的相关性。这也将有助于解决目前关于极地涡旋和增强的极光活动对大气烟雾颗粒的浓度和输送可能起的作用的问题。这些粒子被认为是冰粒子形成过程中凝结核的主要来源，冰粒子表现为极地中间层云、夜光云和极地中间层夏季回波。这些结果有望测试和应用WACCM和CARMA等社区模型，这些模型目前预测夏季极的粒子大量消耗。该提案的更广泛影响是，它将支持一位年轻科学家在博士学位完成后的第一个项目。博士后将继续他在研究生时期发起的教育推广活动。项目期间，他将访问德国莱布奈兹大气物理研究所，并与该研究所的科学家进行合作，重点开展相关研究。激光雷达和火箭实验。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This project aims to conduct a comprehensive investigation of meteoric smoke particles in the polar mesosphere using D-region observations from the Poker Flat incoherent scatter radar (PFISR) in Alaska as well as extensive measurements previously obtained at Arecibo Observatory. The PFISR observations will be used to characterize and quantify the particles' size and density distributions as a function of local time, altitude, and season and will include observations already made along with new measurements to ensure coverage of all seasons and varying levels of geomagnetic activity. The PFISR data will be combined with the Arecibo observations and a model of the Meteor Input Function to determine the correlation between the meteoric smoke particles' characteristics and the meteoric flux. This will also help address current questions on the possible role of the polar vortex and of enhanced auroral activity on the concentration and transport of meteoric smoke particles. These particles are believed to be a major source of condensation nuclei in the formation of ice particles which are manifested as polar mesospheric clouds, noctilucent clouds, and polar mesosphere summer echoes. The results are expected to test and exercise community models such as WACCM and CARMA that currently predict large depletions of particles at the summer pole. The broader impact of the proposal is that it will support a young scientist in his first project after completion of the Ph.D. The postdoctoral fellow will continue education outreach activities he initiated as a graduate student. During the project, he will visit and collaborate with scientists at the Leibneiz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics in Germany, focusing on correlative studies with the Institute?s lidar and rocket experiments.