Temperature and altitude of the polar mesopause in summer

A review and summary of 60 in situ experiments is provided which determined the temperature and altitude of the mesopause north of 58°N latitude during the summer months of May through August. These experiments employed 4 experimental techniques; acoustic grenades, rigid and inflatable falling spheres, and Pitot-static tubes. Excellent agreement is found among the results obtained from different techniques. During June and July the average mesopause temperature drops below 130 K, the average mesopause altitude is 88.5 km. The climatological tables of CIRA 1986 indicate, however, a mean mesopause temperature of approximately 140 K at 91 km for corresponding geophysical conditions.     

Variations of mesopause temperatures in Europe

Mesopause temperatures were derived from ground measurements of the near infrared OH1 spectrum. Preliminary data are presented. Seasonal variations at Wuppertal (51° N, 7° E) are well represented if the Cole and Kantor (1978) model [1] is raised by 10 K and shifted by about 18 days. Latitudinal variations from 68° N to 51° N are found much smaller than the model variations. During a stratospheric warming, mesopause and stratosphere temperatures were found to be in anticorrelation only if a substantial longitudinal shift is introduced.     

The mesopause region wind field over Central Europe in 2003 and comparison with a long-term climatology

Using the D1 method in the LF range, monthly mean zonal and meridional winds in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere height range are measured continuously at Collm, Germany. The wind data are accompanied by reference height measurements since 1983, allowing the construction of an empirical long-term climatology of mean winds and tidal amplitudes and phases at 52N, 15E, which covers the height range of 80–110 km in winter, and about 83–107 km in summer. The climatology includes the time interval from 1983 to date, thus covering nearly two solar cycles. Vertical wind parameter profiles can also be constructed for individual years, so that from the time series interannual variability and long-term trends can be deduced. Here, we present the results for 2003 in comparison with the climatological means.     

Sodium lidar measurements of mesopause region temperatures at 23° S

A sodium lidar, capable of measuring temperature in the 80–100 km region, has been in operation at São José dos Campos (23° S, 46 W) since March 2007. Good quality data have been obtained for late autumn, winter and spring, but weather conditions make it extremely difficult to make measurements from mid-November to mid- February. We find the temperature structure to be strongly modulated by tides and gravity waves, but average profiles typically show a primary mesopause height close to 100 km with temperatures around 180 K, and a tendency for a secondary minimum of about 185 K to occur close to 90 km. Vertical temperature gradients greater than 50 K/km are sometimes seen even on profiles averaged over several hours. The strongest gradients are always positive and are frequently associated with strong gradients in sodium concentration. On the other hand, we frequently see rapid changes in the temperature profile, suggesting that models and non-local temperature measurements, as made by satellite radiometers, for example, are of little use in applications such as the analysis of gravity wave propagation seen in airglow images.     

Preliminary data of the thermal regime and circulation in the upper mesosphere and mesopause

Circulation and thermal structure for the 90–95 km region is described on the basis of the joint analysis of direct and indirect sounding data. Mean season charts of the 0.001 mb surface were compiled using data from meteor trials, ionospheric drifts, rocket launchings and data of the rotational temperature of hydroxyl emission.     

Connection between winter mesopause region temperatures and diurnal LF reflection height variations measured at Collm

Scale height, H, estimates are calculated from the decrease/increase of ionospheric virtual reflection heights of low-frequency (LF) radio waves at oblique incidence in suitably defined morning intervals around sunrise during winter months. The day-to-day variations of H qualitatively agree with daily mean temperature variations around 90 km from meteor radar measurements. Since mesospheric long-period temperature variations are generally accepted to be the signature of atmospheric planetary waves, this shows that LF reflection height measurements can be used for monitoring the dynamics of the upper middle atmosphere. The long-term variations of monthly mean H estimates have also been analysed. There is no significant trend, which is in agreement with other measurements of mesopause region temperature trends.     

Comparison of mesopause region meteor radar winds,medium frequency radar winds and low frequency drifts over Germany

During 2004 and 2005 measurements of mesospheric/lower thermospheric (80–100 km) winds have been carried out in Germany using three different ground-based systems, namely a meteor radar (36.2 MHz) at the Collm Observatory (51.3°N, 13°E), a MF radar (3.18 MHz) at Juliusruh (54.6°N, 13.4°E) and the LF D1 measurements using a transmitter (177 kHz) at Zehlendorf near Berlin and receivers at Collm with the reflection point at 52.1°N, 13.2°E. This provides the possibility of comparing the results of different radar systems in nearly the same measuring volume. Meteor radar winds are generally stronger than the winds observed by MF and especially by LF radars. This difference is small near 80 km but increases with height. The difference between meteor radar and medium frequency radar winds is larger during winter than during summer, which might indicate an indirect influence of gravity waves on spaced antenna measurements.     

Evidence of change after 2001 in the seasonal behaviour of the mesopause region from airglow data at El Leoncito

Airglow intensities and rotational temperatures of the OH(6-2) and O₂b(0-1) bands acquired at El Leoncito (32°S, 69°W) provide good annual coverage in 1998–2002, 2006, and 2007, with between 192 and 311 nights of observation per year. These data can therefore be used to derive the seasonal variations during each of these seven years, in airglow brightness and temperatures at altitudes of 87 and 95 km. From 1998 to 2001, seasonal variations are similar enough so that they can be well represented by a mean climatology, for each parameter. On the other hand, these climatologies do not agree with what is usually observed at other sites, maybe due to the particular orographic conditions at El Leoncito. With respect to the last three fully documented years (2002, 2006, and 2007), the similarity from year to year deteriorates, and there are greater differences in the seasonal behaviour, more or less in all the parameters. The differences include, e.g., maxima occurring earlier or later than “normal”, by one or two months. All this may suggest the build-up of a new regime of intraseasonal variability, with a possible relationship to corresponding changes in wave activity.     

Measurement of mesopause temperature from hydroxyl nightglow at Kolhapur (16.8°N, 74.2°E), India

The paper reports the nightglow observations of hydroxyl (8–3), (7–2) and (6–2) Meinel band carried out at a low latitude station Kolhapur (16.8°N, 74.2°E, dip latitude 10.6°N), India during November 2002 to May 2005 with the objective of investigating mesopause dynamics based on derived OH rotational temperature. Overall, 132 nights of quality data were collected using filter-tilting photometer and an all-sky scanning photometer. The mean mesopause temperature observed at Kolhapur is 195 ± 11, 196 ± 9 and 195 ± 7 K from OH (8–3), (7–2) and (6–2) band emissions, respectively, using transition probabilities given by Langhoff et al. [Langhoff, S.R., Werner, H.J., Rosmus, P. Theoretical transition probabilities for the OH Meinel system. Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy 118, 507–529, 1986]. Small wave-like variations (periodicities ∼ few hours) existing over long period variations in derived temperatures are also present. A steady decrease of emission intensities from evening to dawn hours has been observed in approximately 59% of nights. No significant change of nightly mean temperatures has been noted. Furthermore, about 62% of observed nightly mean temperatures lie within one error bar of MSISE-90 model predictions.     

Low-level circulation during the 1979 Indian summer monsoon

The GARP Monsoon Experiment (MONEX) provided a unique set of observations during the months May, June, July and August 1979, to study the Indian summer monsoon. Data sets from different platforms were collected during this period. In this paper, these platforms are reviewed and their data are presented with a special emphasis on the non-conventional ones : geostationary satellite (GOES), constant-level balloons (BALSAMINE Experiment) and instrumented aircrafts. Some results on the low-level circulation over the Arabian Sea as deduced from these observations are given. In 1979, the onset of the monsoon was very late and took place around mid-June. It was characterized by the formation of a vortex off the western coast of India and its later westward displacement over the Arabian Sea.     

Middle atmosphere summer duration as an indicator of long-term circulation changes

Summer duration (SD) is defined here as the time interval between spring and autumn turn around of zonal winds in the stratosphere. SD long-term trends are obtained from analysis of middle stratosphere NCEP and ECMWF data. They are found to be dependent on latitude and altitude. Wind data are available since 1948. The corresponding analysis suggests a breakpoint in the trend at around 1980: SD increases before 1980, and decreases afterwards. Corresponding changes of stratospheric wave activity are analyzed and found to be a major contribution to the SD trends. Long-term computer runs of the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM 1b) are consistent with these results. Vegetation data on the ground indicate similar trends with a break.     

The analysis of affections to the cold space calibration source of ChangE-1 payload Microwave Detector

ChangE-1 (CE-1) will be the first satellite of China in lunar orbit. Its Microwave Detector makes real-time and periodical calibration at high and low temperature points. The low brightness temperature calibration source will be provided by calibration antenna which is pointing towards the cold space.     

HORACE: A compact cold atom clock for Galileo

HORACE (HOrloge à Refroidissement d’Atomes en Cellule = clock based on atoms cooled from vapour cell) is a compact cold caesium atom clock developed in SYRTE at Paris Observatory. This clock can operate both on ground and in microgravity environment. Design of HORACE is based on isotropic light cooling, allowing performing the whole clock sequence (cooling, atomic preparation, Ramsey interrogation and detection) at the same place. Compared to more conventional cold atom clocks such as atomic fountains, the use of isotropic light cooling simplifies both the optical part of the setup and the detection sequence, and leads to a drastic size reduction of the physics package. Very good short-term performances have been demonstrated at SYRTE since relative frequency instability of 2.2 × 10⁻¹³ τ^−1/2 has been obtained. Optimization of the long term stability is still under progress and current results show relative frequency instability around 3 × 10⁻¹⁵ in 10⁴ s of integration. With these performances, HORACE appears as a good candidate both for Galileo’s ground segment clock and for onboard Galileo clock.     

Cloudiness over the Eastern Equatorial Pacific for summer 1983 from geostationary satellite data

The extraordinary El-Nino event of 1982–83 started to fade out in the late spring of 1983. However the sea surface temperature of the Eastern Equatorial Pacific still remained warmer than normal in the following summer. To investigate the characteristics of this late transition phase of the 1982–83 El-Nino, the GOES-West satellite data of July and August of 1983 are analyzed. The outgoing longwave radiation field and the distribution of cloudiness, which was derived by using a new threshold technique, are obtained. The longwave radiation field is compared to monthly average climatic indices commonly used at the Climatic Analysis Center. The results of cloud analysis showed some interesting features during the decaying phase of the 1982–83 El-Nino. The diurnal variation of cloudiness indicates that total cloud amounts decrease from 8 GMT to 20 GMT over most of the area. This overall study demonstrates preliminary results of the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project of the World Climate Research Program.     

The thermospheric composition different responses to geomagnetic storm in the winter and summer hemisphere measured by “SZ” Atmospheric Composition Detectors

Three “SZ” Atmospheric Composition Detectors (ACDs) on board spacecraft “SZ-2”, “SZ-3” and “SZ-4” were launched on 10th January 2001, 26th March 2002 and 31st December 2002 separately. A large quantity of thermospheric composition data at the orbital altitude ranging from 330 to 362 km were collected from the in-situ measurement of ACDs. The spacecrafts’ lifetime was just in the second peak period of the 23rd solar cycle which includes two peaks and the solar activity value F_10.7 was from 89 to 228. During this period, several intense geomagnetic disturbances happened.     

Global comparison of the model results of GSM TIP with IRI for summer conditions

This paper presents the results of the numerical calculations thermosphere/ionosphere parameters which were executed with using of the Global Self-consistent Model of the Thermosphere, Ionosphere and Protonosphere (GSM TIP)and comparison of these results with empirically-based model IRI-2001. Model GSM TIP was developed in West Department of IZMIRAN and solves self-consistently the time-dependent, 3-D coupled equations of the momentum, energy and continuity for neutral particles (O₂, N₂, O), ions (O⁺, H⁺), molecular ions (M⁺) and electrons and largescale eletric field of the dynamo and magnetospheric origin in the range of height from 80 km to 15 Earth’s radii. The empirically derived IRI model describes the E and F regions of the ionosphere in terms of location, time, solar activity and season. Its output provides a global specification not only of N_e but also on the ion and electron temperatures and the ion composition. These two models represent a unique set of capabilities that reflect major differences in along with a substantial approaches of the first-principles model and global database model for the mapping ionosphere parameters. We focus on global distribution of the N_e, T_i, T_e and TEC for the one moment UT and fixed altitudes: 110 km, h_mF2, 300 km and 1000 km. The calculations were executed with using of GSM TIP and IRI models for August 1999, moderate solar activity and quiet geomagnetic conditions. Results present as the global differences between the IRI and GSM TIP models predictions. The discrepancies between model results are discussed.     

4和9GHz冷噪声源比对系统

介绍冷噪声源比对系统的工作原理,系统设计和采用的主要技术,系统误差分析及应用实例。     

Microorganisms and enzyme activity in permafrost after removal of long-term cold stress

Associations of immobilized microbial cells and organic-mineral complexes containing active enzymes are resistant to long-term (from tens of thousands to millions of years) effects of extremely low temperatures. This association enables the cells to restore their metabolic activity during permafrost thawing, because interactions with the heterogenous medium is made possible by the availability of active immobilized enzymes. The long-term effect of the cold probably favors an adaptational change of microbial metabolism that activates enzymes and cells during thawing.     

Simulation-based evaluation of a cold atom interferometry gradiometer concept for gravity field recovery

The prospects of future satellite gravimetry missions to sustain a continuous and improved observation of the gravitational field have stimulated studies of new concepts of space inertial sensors with potentially improved precision and stability. This is in particular the case for cold-atom interferometry (CAI) gradiometry which is the object of this paper. The performance of a specific CAI gradiometer design is studied here in terms of quality of the recovered gravity field through a closed-loop numerical simulation of the measurement and processing workflow. First we show that mapping the time-variable field on a monthly basis would require a noise level below $5\text{mE}/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$. The mission scenarios are therefore focused on the static field, like GOCE. Second, the stringent requirement on the angular velocity of a one-arm gradiometer, which must not exceed ${10}^{-6}$?rad/s, leads to two possible modes of operation of the CAI gradiometer: the nadir and the quasi-inertial mode. In the nadir mode, which corresponds to the usual Earth-pointing satellite attitude, only the gradient $V_{\mathit{yy}}$, along the cross-track direction, is measured. In the quasi-inertial mode, the satellite attitude is approximately constant in the inertial reference frame and the 3 diagonal gradients $V_{\mathit{xx}}\text{,}{V}_{\mathit{yy}}$ and $V_{\mathit{zz}}$ are measured. Both modes are successively simulated for a 239?km altitude orbit and the error on the recovered gravity models eventually compared to GOCE solutions. We conclude that for the specific CAI gradiometer design assumed in this paper, only the quasi-inertial mode scenario would be able to significantly outperform GOCE results at the cost of technically challenging requirements on the orbit and attitude control.