HR: 14:15h
AN: SA53A-04    [Abstracts]
TI: Analysis of wind speed and wind shear statistics and small scale structure using Doppler lidar data from New Mexico and Hawaii
AU: * Zhou, X
EM: xiaoqiz@clemson.edu
AF: Clemson University, Department of Physics, Clemson, SC 29634 United States
AB: We present an analysis of the statistical distribution of the wind speeds and vertical wind shears in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere by using Doppler sodium lidar data from the Starfire lidar in New Mexico and from the Maui/MALT lidar in Hawaii. Here, we focus on the distribution of wind speed and shear magnitude as a function of height in the altitude range from 75 km to 105 km. A similar analysis was carried out by Larsen (JGR, 2002) for an extensive set of midlatitude rocket chemical release wind measurements in the altitude range from 90 to 140 km. The overlap in the height range coverage by the lidar and rocket measurements allows us to compare the results directly, at least in the region where the height coverage overlaps. In addition, the lidar data set extends the altitude coverage for the analysis below 90 or 95 km where the available chemical release data is much more limited. The results indicate a general decrease in the maximum wind speeds with height below the altitude of the maximum found in the earlier study, but the wind speeds are still generally larger and have larger shears than would be expected from tidal theory or general circulation model predictions.
DE: 3332 Mesospheric dynamics
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly