A study of the mesosphere-lower thermosphere: Noctilucent cloud observations and rocket borne density measurements.

摘要

Herein, a study of a noctilucent cloud, NLC, display from 17 July 2007 is analyzed. A photogrammetric analysis was applied to time lapsed photographs taken from two observation sites, Rugen and Kuhlungsborn, Germany. Both Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities and internal gravity waves were identified during the NLC display based on the typical characteristics of such waves in the mesopause region. With the two observation sites, the location of details can be identi.ed with an accuracy of +/-0.125 ° longitude and +/-0.5 ° latitude. A gravity wave with a wavelength of 50 km and Kelvin-Helmholtz instability or gravity wave of wavelength 16.5 km were observed. The 16:5 km wave had an apparent phase speed of 22ms--1.;Two CONE ionization gauges are calibrated for a rocket campaign which took place in February of 2009. Their ion, emission, and filament currents are discussed as well as the results of a least squares fit to write the pressure as a function of the normalized ion current using both a polynomial and Gaussian fit. The results of the fits are then used to make a temperature profile of the MLT region. The resulting pair of temperature profiles agree on the temperature and location of the mesopause, 152K +/- 12K at about 92:5 km.