CEDAR: Lidar and Radar Investigations of Turbulence in the Arctic Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere

调查人员将研究北极中层大气中的破波、不稳定和湍流。具体来说，将进行一项结合激光雷达、雷达和卫星测量的综合研究，以表征持续存在的中间层逆温层中的湍流。这项研究将利用阿拉斯加州查塔尼卡（北纬65°，西经147°）的现有仪器；即已建立的瑞利激光雷达和扑克平面非相干散射雷达。激光雷达将产生高分辨率的温度和密度测量，从而可以表征中间层逆温层以及中间层和低层热层（MLT）的波活动。雷达将提供湍流的光谱测量。这些观测将为在上层中间层和下层热层持续不稳定的情况下描述湍流提供一个框架。冬季北极中层大气为观测大尺度波浪破碎和中层大气持续不稳定提供了独特的天然实验室。在冬季，在对流层产生的行星波通常会在平流层和中间层中断，从而破坏环流。迄今为止的研究表明，由于阿留申反气旋的存在以及反气旋与北极涡旋之间的相互作用，在行星波活动增强期间，北极西部可能是行星波破裂和持续中间层逆温层形成的作用中心。这项研究的重点是在空间大气相互作用区（SAIR）的下边界观测波浪和湍流。这项基于sair的研究解决了耦合问题，这对基于系统的大气理解至关重要，代表了地球空间的转变，并确定了地球空间的当前结构和组成及其演变方式。这项研究将融合遥感和地球物理流体分析的知识，并直接支持对自然科学的理解。它将支持科学和工程学生的教育和培训，在北极使用和扩展研究基础设施，加强国际合作，并促进美国和日本大学和实验室之间的合作。研究结果将被整合到阿拉斯加大学的项目中，并通过各种专业、教育和推广项目进行传播。

The investigators will study wave-breaking, instability, and turbulence in the Arctic middle atmosphere. Specifically, an integrated study that combines lidar, radar, and satellite measurements will be conducted to characterize turbulence in the presence of persistent mesospheric inversion layers. The study will draw on established instruments at Chatanika, Alaska (65°N, 147°W); namely an established Rayleigh lidar and the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar. The lidar will yield high-resolution temperature and density measurements that allow characterization of the mesospheric inversion layers and wave activity in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT). The radar will provide spectral measurements of turbulence. These observations will provide a framework for characterizing turbulence in the presence of persistent instabilities in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere. The wintertime Arctic middle atmosphere provides a unique natural laboratory for observing large-scale wave breaking and persistent instabilities in the middle atmosphere. In the winter planetary waves, generated in the troposphere, routinely break in the stratosphere and mesosphere and disrupt the circulation. Studies to date indicate that the western Arctic may be a center of action for planetary wave breaking and formation of persistent mesospheric inversion layers due to the presence of the Aleutian anticyclone and the interactions between the anticyclone and the Arctic vortex during periods of enhanced planetary wave activity. The study's focus is on observations of waves and turbulence at the lower border of the Space Atmosphere Interaction Region (SAIR). This SAIR-based study addresses the coupling that is critical to a systems-based understanding of the atmosphere, represents a transition in geospace, and determines the current structure and composition of geospace and how it evolves. The research will fuse knowledge from remote sensing and geophysical fluid analysis, and directly support understanding in natural sciences. It will support education and training of students in science and engineering, employ and extend research infrastructure in the Arctic, enhance international collaborations, and promote collaboration amongst universities and laboratories in the US and Japan. The research results will be integrated into the University of Alaska programs and disseminated through a variety of professional, educational, and outreach programs.