Gravity wave signatures at mesopause heights

Abstract

The ALOMAR SOUSY Radar operated at 53.5 MHz has been used in a five-beam configuration to study dynamical processes at gravity wave periods in the summer polar mesosphere. A case study of a gravity wave with a period of about 9 min is presented and analysed in some detail. The three-dimensional wave number vector is determined from the phase information of the 9-min velocity oscillations obtained in all beam directions and all range gates. The horizontal wavelengths in the north and east direction are estimated to be about 60 and 50 km, respectively. The echo power variations, simultaneously observed at different beam pointing positions, are investigated using cross-correlation analysis. The results show that these wave-associated variations lead to horizontal and vertical deformation of the echoing layers. The horizontal wavelength in the north-south direction, derived from the echo power modification, is in good agreement with the one obtained from the velocity analysis.