Cloud Formation From a Localized Water Release in the Upper Mesosphere: Indication of Rapid Cooling

• Published in: Journal of geophysical research. Space physics 2021-02, Vol.126 (2), p.e2019JA027285-n/a
• Main Authors: Collins, Richard L., Stevens, Michael H., Azeem, Irfan, Taylor, Michael J., Larsen, Miguel F., Williams, Bifford P., Li, Jintai, Alspach, Jennifer H., Pautet, Pierre‐Dominique, Zhao, Yucheng, Zhu, Xun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aerosols; Aerosols and Particles; Atmospheric Composition and Structure; Biogeosciences; Cloud Physics and Chemistry; Cloud/Radiation Interaction; Lidar; Marine Pollution; Megacities and Urban Environment; Natural Hazards; Oceanography: Biological and Chemical; Oceanography: General; Paleoceanography; polar mesospheric clouds; Pollution: Urban and Regional; Pollution: Urban, Regional and Global; radiative cooling; Urban Systems; water release
• ISSN: 2169-9380; 2169-9402
• DOI: 10.1029/2019JA027285

Polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) occur in the summer near 82 ‐85km altitude due to seasonal changes of temperature and humidity. However, water vapor and associated PMCs have also been observed associated with rocket exhaust. The effects of this rocket exhaust on the temperature of the upper mesosphere are not well understood. To investigate these effects, 220 kg of pure water was explosively released at 85 km as part of the Super Soaker sounding rocket experiment on the night of January 25–26, 2018 at Poker Flat Research Range (65°N, 147°W). A cloud formed within 18 s and was measured by a ground‐based Rayleigh lidar. The peak altitude of the cloud appeared to descend from 92 to 78 km over 3 min. Temperatures leading up to the release were between 197 and 232 K, about 50 K above the summertime water frost point when PMCs typically occur. The apparent motion of the cloud is interpreted in terms of the expansion of the explosive release. Analysis using a water vapor radiative cooling code coupled to a microphysical model indicates that the cloud formed due to the combined effects of rapid radiative cooling (∼25 K) by meter‐scale filaments of nearly pure water vapor (∼1 ppv) and an increase in the frost point temperature (from 150 to 200 K) due to the high concentration of water vapor. These results indicate that water exhaust not only acts as a reservoir for mesospheric cloud production but also actively cools the mesosphere to induce cloud formation. Plain Language Summary The effects of water vapor exhaust from space traffic on the upper mesosphere is not well understood. Water can both contribute to cloudiness as well as cooling of the upper mesosphere. We released water from a rocket at 85 km to study these effects. We detected an ice cloud with a ground‐based laser radar soon after the release. The rapid formation of the cloud indicates that space traffic water exhaust may not only provide water for production of clouds but also cool the mesosphere to induce the formation of these clouds. Key Points We observe mesospheric clouds 18 s after releasing 220 kg of water at 85 km, that descend from 92 to 78 km, during winter in the Arctic The high water vapor concentrations (∼1 ppv) enable cloud formation by both cooling the upper mesosphere and raising the frost point The cooling depends on the spatial distribution of the water vapor, with meter‐scale pure water vapor filaments cooling most rapidly