HR: 13:45h
AN: SA53A-02    [Abstracts]
TI: Climatology of Small-Scale Mesospheric Gravity Waves Observed over Antarctica
AU: * Nielsen, K
EM: knielsen@cc.usu.edu
AF: Utah State University, Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322 United States
AU: Taylor, M J
AF: Utah State University, Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322 United States
AU: Jarvis, M J
AF: British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road Cambridge CB3 0ET United Kingdom, United Kingdom
AB: As part of a collaborative research program between the British Antarctic Survey and Utah State University an all-sky CCD imager was deployed in Antarctica to investigate the occurrence and properties of short-period (<1 hour) mesospheric gravity waves at high latitudes. The measurements were made from two sites: Halley Station (75.5° S, 26.7° W), and Rothera Research Station (67.3° S, 68.1° W) to help investigate differences in wave propagation characteristics associated with mountain wave generation over the Antarctic peninsula (as observed from Rothera). Observations were made over five consecutive winter seasons from 2000-2004 (two seasons from Halley Station and three from Rothera). In this study we have analyzed the spatial and temporal properties of over 300 spatially extensive, short-period gravity wave events observed in the NIR OH emission (altitude ~87 km). Our results show significant anisotropy in the gravity wave propagation headings observed from both sites suggesting a dominant poleward component for the wave propagation headings (> 80% events) towards the Antarctic Continent, and marked east-west variability that alters with the evolving winter seasons.
DE: 0310 Airglow and aurora
DE: 3332 Mesospheric dynamics
DE: 3384 Waves and tides
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly