Remote sensing lower thermosphere wind profiles using non-specular meteor echoes

This article describes a new method of measuring wind velocity profiles between 93 km and 110 km altitude by tracking non‐specular meteor echoes as neutral winds transport the plasma trails. This requires a large VHF radar with interferometric capability able to point nearly perpendicular to the geo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2009-05, Vol.36 (9), p.np-n/a
Main Authors: Oppenheim, Meers M., Sugar, Glenn, Slowey, Nicholas O., Bass, Elizabeth, Chau, Jorge L., Close, Sigrid
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Altitude
Atmospheric sciences
Data collection
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Echoes
Exact sciences and technology
Geomagnetic field
Geophysics
Horizontal
meteor
Meteors
Meters
MLT
Radio
Remote sensing
Tracking
wind
Wind speed
Wind velocity
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Summary:This article describes a new method of measuring wind velocity profiles between 93 km and 110 km altitude by tracking non‐specular meteor echoes as neutral winds transport the plasma trails. This requires a large VHF radar with interferometric capability able to point nearly perpendicular to the geomagnetic field. A small data sample from the Jicamarca Radio Observatory allows the measurement of horizontal wind speeds and directions with a range resolution of a few hundred meters. These observations show speeds reaching 150 m/s and sometimes changing by as much as 100 m/s over a 6 km altitude range. At the best times, these measurements can be made with only a few minutes of data. With some refinement of the data collection and analysis techniques, this technique should produce high resolution images of lower thermospheric winds as they change in both altitude and time.
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1029/2009GL037353