HR: 0800h
AN: SA21A-0263    [Abstracts]
TI: Gravity wave observation from the Cloud Imaging and Particle Size (CIPS) Experiment on the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) Spacecraft
AU: * Chandran, A
AF: University of Colorado, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
AU: Rusch, D
AF: University of Colorado, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
AU: Randall, C
AF: University of Colorado, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
AU: Palo, S
AF: University of Colorado, 1234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303, United States
AB: The Cloud Imaging and Particle Size (CIPS) experiment is one of the three instruments on board the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) spacecraft that was launched into sun-synchronous orbit on April 25, 2007. CIPS is a 4 camera wide-field (120° x 80°) imager designed to measure PMC morphology and particle properties and has a spatial resolution of 1 x 2 km in the nadir. Structures observed in PMC's occurring near the cold summer mesopause have been attributed to various wave and instability processes and it has been suggested that PMC structures may be used to infer quantitative properties of gravity wave activity. One of the objectives of AIM is to investigate gravity wave effects on PMC formation and evolution. CIPS images show distinct wave patterns and structures in PMC's. In this work, we present initial analysis of the gravity wave structures observed in PMC's near 80-85 km altitude. Wavelengths of structures seen in PMC's range between 15 - 300 km, with smaller wavelength structures of less than 80 km being most common. We also present wave structures observed from the Rayleigh scatter background albedo at 50 km altitude at low latitudes and from PMC free orbits. The wavelength of structures observed from the background albedo show an equal distribution between 150 – 400 km. A comparison of the wave structures at the two altitudes will be made to determine differences in the observed wave parameters. We will also investigate the seasonal and latitudinal variations in the nature of the waves observed.
DE: 0300 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE
DE: 0340 Middle atmosphere: composition and chemistry
DE: 0394 Instruments and techniques
DE: 3332 Mesospheric dynamics
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting