HR: 1340h
AN: SA53A-1149    [Abstracts]
TI: Turbulence and Mixing at the Equatorial Mesopause: Results From a Rocket/Radar Experiment
AU: * Lehmacher, G A
EM: glehmac@clemson.edu
AF: Clemson University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson, SC 29634 United States
AU: Croskey, C L
EM: clcece@engr.psu.edu
AF: The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Electrical Engineering, University Park, PA 16802 United States
AU: Mitchell, J D
EM: jdm4@psu.edu
AF: The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Electrical Engineering, University Park, PA 16802 United States
AU: Friedrich, M
EM: martin.friedrich@tugraz.at
AF: Graz University of Technology, INW, Inffeldgasse 12, Graz, 8010 Austria
AU: Kudeki, E
EM: erhan@uiuc.edu
AF: University of Illinois, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 1308 West Main, Urbana, IL 61801 United States
AU: Rapp, M
SA53A-1149 AF: Leibniz-Institute for Atmospheric Physics, Schlossstr. 4, Kuehlungsborn, 18225 Germany
AB: We report measurements of neutral temperature and plasma density obtained by sounding rocket on 20 September 2004 over Kwajalein Atoll and common volume measurements of electron density performed during that day with incoherent scatter radar. We observed a deep layer mixed by turbulence between 92 and 103 km, and further indications of mixing between 105 and 110 km. The lower region is interpreted as a case of a mesospheric inversion layer generated by gravity wave-tidal interaction, and leading to strong localized heating and cooling. Such layers seem to be a common feature at low and latitudes based on satellite temperature data. Electron densities deviate from model profiles and are linked to the neutral atmosphere, presumably by mixing and transport of minor species. The region above 105 km exhibits low ridges and valleys in daytime electron densities that slowly descend throughout the day and are likely to be connected to neutral motion.
DE: 2415 Equatorial ionosphere
DE: 2437 Ionospheric dynamics
DE: 3332 Mesospheric dynamics
DE: 3369 Thermospheric dynamics (0358)
DE: 3379 Turbulence (4490)
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005