Multistatic Specular Meteor Radar Network in Peru: System Description and Initial Results
Abstract The mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region is dominated globally by dynamics at various scales: planetary waves, tides, gravity waves, and stratified turbulence. The latter two can coexist and be significant at horizontal scales less than 500 km, scales that are difficult to measure...
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doaj-37539ee2484048868fcce69c543074de2021-08-27T16:52:15ZengAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU)Earth and Space Science2333-50842021-01-0181n/an/a10.1029/2020EA001293Multistatic Specular Meteor Radar Network in Peru: System Description and Initial ResultsJ. L. Chau0J. M. Urco1J. Vierinen2B. J. Harding3M. Clahsen4N. Pfeffer5K. M. Kuyeng6M. A. Milla7P. J. Erickson8Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Rostock Kühlungsborn GermanyLeibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Rostock Kühlungsborn GermanyThe Arctic University of Norway Tromso NorwaySpace Sciences Laboratory University of California, Berkeley Berkeley CA USALeibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Rostock Kühlungsborn GermanyLeibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Rostock Kühlungsborn GermanyRadio Observatorio de Jicamarca Instituto Geosfísico del Perú Lima PeruRadio Observatorio de Jicamarca Instituto Geosfísico del Perú Lima PeruMIT Haystack Observatory Westford MA USAAbstract The mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region is dominated globally by dynamics at various scales: planetary waves, tides, gravity waves, and stratified turbulence. The latter two can coexist and be significant at horizontal scales less than 500 km, scales that are difficult to measure. This study presents a recently deployed multistatic specular meteor radar system, SIMONe Peru, which can be used to observe these scales. The radars are positioned at and around the Jicamarca Radio Observatory, which is located at the magnetic equator. Besides presenting preliminary results of typically reported large‐scale features, like the dominant diurnal tide at low latitudes, we show results on selected days of spatially and temporally resolved winds obtained with two methods based on: (a) estimation of mean wind and their gradients (gradient method), and (b) an inverse theory with Tikhonov regularization (regularized wind field inversion method). The gradient method allows improved MLT vertical velocities and, for the first time, low‐latitude wind field parameters such as horizontal divergence and relative vorticity. The regularized wind field inversion method allows the estimation of spatial structure within the observed area and has the potential to outperform the gradient method, in particular when more detections are available or when fine adaptive tuning of the regularization factor is done. SIMONe Peru adds important information at low latitudes to currently scarce MLT continuous observing capabilities. Results contribute to studies of the MLT dynamics at different scales inherently connected to lower atmospheric forcing and E‐region dynamo related ionospheric variability.https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EA001293low latitude mesosphereMLT dynamicsMLT horizontal divergenceMLT vorticitymultistatic radar observationsvertical velocity |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
J. L. Chau J. M. Urco J. Vierinen B. J. Harding M. Clahsen N. Pfeffer K. M. Kuyeng M. A. Milla P. J. Erickson |
spellingShingle |
J. L. Chau J. M. Urco J. Vierinen B. J. Harding M. Clahsen N. Pfeffer K. M. Kuyeng M. A. Milla P. J. Erickson Multistatic Specular Meteor Radar Network in Peru: System Description and Initial Results Earth and Space Science low latitude mesosphere MLT dynamics MLT horizontal divergence MLT vorticity multistatic radar observations vertical velocity |
author_facet |
J. L. Chau J. M. Urco J. Vierinen B. J. Harding M. Clahsen N. Pfeffer K. M. Kuyeng M. A. Milla P. J. Erickson |
author_sort |
J. L. Chau |
title |
Multistatic Specular Meteor Radar Network in Peru: System Description and Initial Results |
title_short |
Multistatic Specular Meteor Radar Network in Peru: System Description and Initial Results |
title_full |
Multistatic Specular Meteor Radar Network in Peru: System Description and Initial Results |
title_fullStr |
Multistatic Specular Meteor Radar Network in Peru: System Description and Initial Results |
title_full_unstemmed |
Multistatic Specular Meteor Radar Network in Peru: System Description and Initial Results |
title_sort |
multistatic specular meteor radar network in peru: system description and initial results |
publisher |
American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
series |
Earth and Space Science |
issn |
2333-5084 |
publishDate |
2021-01-01 |
description |
Abstract The mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region is dominated globally by dynamics at various scales: planetary waves, tides, gravity waves, and stratified turbulence. The latter two can coexist and be significant at horizontal scales less than 500 km, scales that are difficult to measure. This study presents a recently deployed multistatic specular meteor radar system, SIMONe Peru, which can be used to observe these scales. The radars are positioned at and around the Jicamarca Radio Observatory, which is located at the magnetic equator. Besides presenting preliminary results of typically reported large‐scale features, like the dominant diurnal tide at low latitudes, we show results on selected days of spatially and temporally resolved winds obtained with two methods based on: (a) estimation of mean wind and their gradients (gradient method), and (b) an inverse theory with Tikhonov regularization (regularized wind field inversion method). The gradient method allows improved MLT vertical velocities and, for the first time, low‐latitude wind field parameters such as horizontal divergence and relative vorticity. The regularized wind field inversion method allows the estimation of spatial structure within the observed area and has the potential to outperform the gradient method, in particular when more detections are available or when fine adaptive tuning of the regularization factor is done. SIMONe Peru adds important information at low latitudes to currently scarce MLT continuous observing capabilities. Results contribute to studies of the MLT dynamics at different scales inherently connected to lower atmospheric forcing and E‐region dynamo related ionospheric variability. |
topic |
low latitude mesosphere MLT dynamics MLT horizontal divergence MLT vorticity multistatic radar observations vertical velocity |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EA001293 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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