Abstract
Abstract. For the first time, we present an approach to derive zonal, meridional, and vertical wavelengths as well as periods of gravity waves based on only one OH* spectrometer, addressing one vibrational-rotational transition. Knowledge of these parameters is a precondition for the calculation of further information, such as the wave group velocity vector. OH(3-1) spectrometer measurements allow the analysis of gravity wave ground-based periods but spatial information cannot necessarily be deduced. We use a scanning spectrometer and harmonic analysis to derive horizontal wavelengths at the mesopause altitude above Oberpfaffenhofen (48.09∘ N, 11.28∘ E), Germany for 22 nights in 2015. Based on the approximation of the dispersion relation for gravity waves of low and medium frequencies and additional horizontal wind information, we calculate vertical wavelengths. The mesopause wind measurements nearest to Oberpfaffenhofen are conducted at Collm (51.30∘ N, 13.02∘ E), Germany, ca. 380 km northeast of Oberpfaffenhofen, by a meteor radar. In order to compare our results, vertical temperature profiles of TIMED-SABER (thermosphere ionosphere mesosphere energetics dynamics, sounding of the atmosphere using broadband emission radiometry) overpasses are analysed with respect to the dominating vertical wavelength.
Highlights
In order to analyse atmospheric motions like gravity waves, the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere is studied by a variety of measurement techniques: airglow spectroscopy and imaging, as well as lidar systems, are probably the most prominent ones in the Network for the Detection of Mesospheric Change (NDMC, https://www.wdc.dlr.de/ndmc).Depending on the instrument and the retrieval, different techniques are sensitive to different wave parameters
For example, allow the measurement of vertical wavelengths, horizontal wavelengths of gravity waves can be directly extracted from airglow images
Further wave parameters can be calculated if additional information is available, which allows the application of the dispersion relation
Summary
In order to analyse atmospheric motions like gravity waves, the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere is studied by a variety of measurement techniques: airglow spectroscopy and imaging, as well as lidar systems, are probably the most prominent ones in the Network for the Detection of Mesospheric Change (NDMC, https://www.wdc.dlr.de/ndmc). Depending on the instrument and the retrieval, different techniques are sensitive to different wave parameters. Rauthe et al, 2006, 2008; Yamashita et al, 2009; Mzé et al, 2014; Chen et al, 2016), horizontal wavelengths of gravity waves can be directly extracted from airglow images (for instance, Garcia et al., 1997; Taylor et al, 2003; Paulino et al, 2011). The instrument setup can be changed in order to compute further wave parameters
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