On the radar frequency dependence of polar mesosphere summer echoes

ShuCan Ge; HaiLong Li; Lin Meng; MaoYan Wang; Tong Xu; Safi Ullah; Abdur Rauf; Abdel Hannachid

doi:10.26464/epp2020061

Earth and Planetary Physics (Nov 2020)

On the radar frequency dependence of polar mesosphere summer echoes

ShuCan Ge,
HaiLong Li,
Lin Meng,
MaoYan Wang,
Tong Xu,
Safi Ullah,
Abdur Rauf,
Abdel Hannachid

Affiliations

ShuCan Ge: School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
HaiLong Li: School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
Lin Meng: School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
MaoYan Wang: School of Physics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
Tong Xu: National Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Environment, China Research Institute of Radio Wave Propagation, Qingdao 266107, China
Safi Ullah: School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
Abdur Rauf: School of Electronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, China
Abdel Hannachid: Department of Meteorology, Stockholm University, SE-106-91, Stockholm, Sweden

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26464/epp2020061
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 4, no. 6
pp. 571 – 578

Abstract

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Polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSEs) are very strong radar echoes in the polar mesopause in local summer. Here we present the frequency dependence of the volume reflectivity and the effect of energetic particle precipitation on modulated PMSEs by using PMSEs observations carried out by European Incoherent SCATter (EISCAT) heating equipment simultaneously with very high frequency (VHF) radar and ultra high frequency (UHF) radar on 12 July 2007. According to the experimental observations, the PMSEs occurrence rate at VHF was much higher than that at UHF, and the altitude of the PMSEs maximum observed at VHF was higher than that at UHF. Overlapping regions were observed by VHF radar between high energetic particle precipitation and the PMSEs. In addition, high-frequency heating had a very limited impact on PMSEs when the UHF electron density was enhanced because of energetic particle precipitation. In addition, an updated qualitative method was used to study the relationship between volume reflectivity and frequency. The volume reflectivity was found to be inversely proportional to the fourth power of radar frequency. The theoretical and experimental results provide a definitive data foundation for further analysis and investigation of the physical mechanism of PMSEs.

Published in Earth and Planetary Physics

ISSN: 2096-3955 (Print)
Publisher: Science Press
Country of publisher: China
LCC subjects: Science: Physics: Geophysics. Cosmic physics; Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences
Website: http://www.eppcgs.org/

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