Comparison of the reaction of polar mesosphere winter echoes and polar mesosphere summer echoes to high-frequency heating in terms of modulated characteristics

Abstract

In this work, for the first time, we have analyzed and compared the responses of polar mesosphere winter echoes (PMWE) and their summer counterpart, polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE), to high-frequency (HF) heating in terms of modulated characteristics (i.e., backscatter intensity reduction, recovery, and overshoot). Both PMWE and PMSE observations were from the same site (Tromsø, Norway; 69.6°N, 19.2°E) and radar (EISCAT [European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association] very high frequency, 224 MHz). The heating patterns of both PMWE and PMSE were found to be similar; however, PMSE was more greatly affected by HF heating. Polar mesosphere summer echoes showed recovery and overshoot more frequently than did PMWE. In addition, the mean recovery and overshoot of PMSE were greater than those of PMWE. The associated electron temperature enhancement was estimated for both PMWE and PMSE and showed that, compared with PMWE, the electron temperature enhancement was more significant in PMSE. The strong heating effects on PMSE may be due to the considerable increase in electron temperature.