TY - JOUR
T1 - The dynamics of ion layer generation in the 80-150 km altitude region at low and mid-latitudes
AU - Mathews, John D.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements-We thank Professor C. S. Gardner for access to the ALOHA-90 lidar data and Dr T. J. Kane, formerly at the University of Illinois with Professor Gardner and now at Penn State, for assistance with the data. Visualization assistance has been provided by Mr Jian Yu. The AIDA data were taken at the Arecibo Observatory of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, which is run by Cornell University under contract to the National Science Foundation. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation grant ATM 92-03947 to The Pennsylvania State University.
PY - 1996
Y1 - 1996
N2 - The association of sporadic ion and sporadic sodium layers in the low-latitude, 90-100 km altitude region suggests that we must look beyond the windshear theory for details of the formation mechanism of sporadic layers in the 80-150 km altitude region. We present evidence, including specific 85-105 km results from the AIDA-89 and the ALOHA-90 campaigns, that 80-150 km altitude sporadic layers - including sporadic sodium layers - are generated in a complex interplay of tidal and acoustic-gravity wave (AGW) dynamics with temperature-dependent chemistry where wave-produced temperature variations are both adiabatic and dissipative or turbulent (non-reversible) in origin. We suggest that layering processes are best studied with an instrument cluster that includes sodium and iron lidars, MST radar (turbulence), incoherent scatter radar (electron concentration and winds), meteor radar techniques (winds), passive optical/IR imaging techniques, and appropriate rocket payloads to study a significant volume of the 80-150 km altitude region. We introduce the concept of volumetric radar and lidar techniques.
AB - The association of sporadic ion and sporadic sodium layers in the low-latitude, 90-100 km altitude region suggests that we must look beyond the windshear theory for details of the formation mechanism of sporadic layers in the 80-150 km altitude region. We present evidence, including specific 85-105 km results from the AIDA-89 and the ALOHA-90 campaigns, that 80-150 km altitude sporadic layers - including sporadic sodium layers - are generated in a complex interplay of tidal and acoustic-gravity wave (AGW) dynamics with temperature-dependent chemistry where wave-produced temperature variations are both adiabatic and dissipative or turbulent (non-reversible) in origin. We suggest that layering processes are best studied with an instrument cluster that includes sodium and iron lidars, MST radar (turbulence), incoherent scatter radar (electron concentration and winds), meteor radar techniques (winds), passive optical/IR imaging techniques, and appropriate rocket payloads to study a significant volume of the 80-150 km altitude region. We introduce the concept of volumetric radar and lidar techniques.
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U2 - 10.1016/0021-9169(95)00066-6
DO - 10.1016/0021-9169(95)00066-6
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0029751372
SN - 0021-9169
VL - 58
SP - 673
EP - 682
JO - Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics
JF - Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics
IS - 6
ER -