FastFind »   Lastname: doi:10.1029/ Year: | Advanced Search  

AGU: Geophysical Research Letters

 

Index Terms

  • Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Middle atmosphere—composition and chemistry
  • Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Instruments and techniques
  • Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Mesospheric dynamics

Abstract

GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 29, 1071, 4 PP., 2002
doi:10.1029/2001GL013542

Mesospheric potassium layer over the Arecibo Observatory, 18.3°N 66.75°W

Jonathan S. Friedman

National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, PR

Stephen C. Collins

School of Electrical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

Rubén Delgado

Department of Chemistry, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, PR

Paul A. Castleberg

Toyon Corporation, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

A resonance lidar has made regular measurements of mesospheric potassium at the Arecibo Observatory (18.3°N, 66.75°W) since July 1999. Through July 2001 a total of 65 nights of density measurements were carried out, amounting to several nights each month over most of the period. The layer shows considerable nightly and seasonal variation: Spring and early summer nights had frequent sporadic layer activity; nightly variability in the layer width was large due to sporadic layer activity, but the seasonal variation was small; the altitude of the layer centroid was fairly constant throughout the year; and the column abundance showed semi-annual variation. These results are compared with a similar set of potassium measurements from a mid-latitude site, and the latitudinal implications are discussed.

Published 13 March 2002.

Citation: Friedman, J. S., S. C. Collins, R. Delgado, and P. A. Castleberg (2002), Mesospheric potassium layer over the Arecibo Observatory, 18.3°N 66.75°W, Geophys. Res. Lett., 29(5), 1071, doi:10.1029/2001GL013542.

Cited By

Please wait one moment ...