Case study of a mesospheric wall event over Ferraz station, Antarctica (62° S)

Bageston, José Valentin; Wrasse, C. M.; Hibbins, R. E.; Batista, P. P.; Gobbi, D.; Takahashi, H.; Andrioli, V. F.; Fechine, J.; Denardini, Clezio Marcos

doi:10.5194/angeo-29-209-2011

Cited by 25 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The report of only two wave front events (wall event reported by Bageston et al (2011) and the present study), among a large number of gravity wave events, confirms the low occurrence rate of bores at high southern latitudes compared to lower latitudes (Fechine et al, , 2009). The event reported here could not be classified as a mesospheric bore according to the criteria used in the literature (Dewan and Picard, 1998;Smith et al, 2003;Brown et al, 2004;Smith et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 50%

“…2b). Indeed, temperature inversions, or thermal ducts, have often been associated with mesospheric fronts Picard, 1998, 2001;Smith et al, 2003;She et al, 2004;Smith et al, 2005;Narayanan et al, 2009;Laughman et al, 2009Laughman et al, , 2011Bageston et al, 2011). The intrinsic phase speed along the direction of propagation implied by the estimated m 2 profile is from ∼50 to 70 m s −1 , depending on whether we take the relevant background wind to be the maximum in the direction of propagation or that centered in the ducting region (with m 2 > 0).…”

Section: Analysis and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They inferred that it was likely supported by a Doppler duct, with apparent influences by the semidiurnal tide. Bageston et al (2011) analyzed a mesospheric wall event over Ferraz and concluded that it was Wind in the wave propagation direction 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 00:00 02:00 04:00 06:00 08:00 10:00 12:00…”

Section: Analysis and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Wind measurements were not available at Ferraz during the wave event observation. However, mesospheric wind measurements were available with an MF radar at Rothera Station ∼765 km to the south, as employed in the study by Bageston et al (2011). The Rothera MF radar measures horizontal winds in the MLT through analysis of D-region partial reflection echoes (Jarvis et al, 1999;Hibbins et al, 2007).…”

Section: Mesospheric Windsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Observation of a mesospheric front in a thermal-doppler duct over King George Island, Antarctica

et al. 2011

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Abstract.A mesospheric front was observed with an allsky airglow imager on the night of 9-10 July 2007 at Ferraz Station (62 • S, 58 • W), located on King George island on the Antarctic Peninsula. The observed wave propagated from southwest to northeast with a well defined wave front and a series of crests behind the main front. The wave parameters were obtained via a 2-D Fourier transform of the imager data providing a horizontal wavelength of 33 km, an observed period of 6 min, and a horizontal phase speed of 92 m s −1 . Simultaneous mesospheric winds were measured with a medium frequency (MF) radar at Rothera Station (68 • S, 68 • W) and temperature profiles were obtained from the SABER instrument on the TIMED satellite. These wind and temperature profiles were used to estimate the propagation environment of the wave event. A wavelet technique was applied to the wind in the plane of wave propagation at the OH emission height spanning three days centered on the front event to define the dominant periodicities. Results revealed a dominance of near-inertial periods, and semi-diurnal and terdiurnal tides suggesting that the ducting structure enabling mesospheric front propagation occurred on large spatial scales. The observed tidal motions were used to reconstruct the winds employing a least-squares method, which were then compared to the observed ducting environment. Results suggest an important contribution of largescale winds to the ducting structure, but with buoyancy frequency variations in the vertical also expected to be important. These results allow us to conclude that the wave front event was supported by a duct including contributions from both winds and temperature.Correspondence to:

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 50%

Section: Analysis and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Analysis and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mesospheric Windsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Observation of a mesospheric front in a thermal-doppler duct over King George Island, Antarctica

et al. 2011

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“…Bageston et al (2009) in their observations at Ferraz Station, during 2007, observed more than 230 gravity wave events, but only two clear cases of mesospheric fronts were reported. The first one was a mesospheric wall (Bageston et al, 2011a) and the second one was a mesospheric bore (Bageston et al, 2011b). In both cases, the fronts were supported by stable ducts (the first one a thermal duct and the second one a thermal-Doppler duct).…”

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confidence: 96%

Mesospheric front observations by the OH airglow imager carried out at Ferraz Station on King George Island, Antarctic Peninsula, in 2011

et al. 2018

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Abstract. The main goals of this work are to characterize and investigate the potential wave sources of four mesospheric fronts identified in the hydroxyl near-infrared (OH-NIR) airglow images, obtained with an all-sky airglow imager installed at Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station (EACF, as per its Portuguese acronym) located on King George Island in the Antarctic Peninsula. We identified and analyzed four mesospheric fronts in 2011 over King George Island. In addition, we investigate the atmospheric background environment between 80 and 100 km altitude and discuss the ducts and propagation conditions for these waves. For that, we used wind data obtained from a meteor radar operated at EACF and temperature data obtained from the TIMED/SABER satellite. The vertical wavenumber squared, m 2 , was calculated for each of the four waves. Even though no clearly defined duct (indicated by positive values of m 2 sandwiched between layers above and below with m 2 < 0) was found in any of the events, favorable propagation conditions for horizontal propagation of the fronts were found in three cases. In the fourth case, the wave front did not find any duct support and it appeared to dissipate near the zenith, transferring energy and momentum to the medium and, consequently, accelerating the wind in the wave propagation direction (near to south) above the OH peak (88-92 km). The likely wave sources for these four cases were investigated by using meteorological satellite images and in two cases we could find that strong instabilities were potential sources, i.e., a cyclonic activity and a large convective cloud cell. In the other two cases it was not possible to associate troposphere sources as potential candidates for the generation of such wave fronts observed in the mesosphere and secondary wave sources were attributed to these cases.

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First common volume ground‐based and space measurements of the mesospheric front in noctilucent clouds

Dalin

Connors

Schofield

et al. 2013

Geophysical Research Letters

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We report on the first common volume ground‐based and space measurements of the mesospheric front in noctilucent clouds (NLCs). The detailed ground‐based observations were performed with automated digital cameras located at the Athabasca University Geophysical Observatory (Canada) on the night of 29–30 June 2012, while simultaneous space measurements were conducted onboard the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics satellite using the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry instrument. The large temperature difference of 20–25 K between two different air masses at about 85 km altitude was responsible for the front jump separating the area filled with NLCs from the area with no NLCs. The front jump (soliton) had a pronounced elevation of 12 km up to the altitude of 96 km relative to the undisturbed NLC layer located between 84.5 and 86.3 km. Considering present and previous ground‐based measurements of the NLC height, we conclude that altitude of 96–97 km is the upper limit of possible heights of NLCs.

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Case study of a mesospheric wall event over Ferraz station, Antarctica (62° S)

Cited by 25 publications

References 28 publications

Observation of a mesospheric front in a thermal-doppler duct over King George Island, Antarctica

Observation of a mesospheric front in a thermal-doppler duct over King George Island, Antarctica

Mesospheric front observations by the OH airglow imager carried out at Ferraz Station on King George Island, Antarctic Peninsula, in 2011

First common volume ground‐based and space measurements of the mesospheric front in noctilucent clouds

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