Articles | Volume 41, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-289-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-289-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Greenhouse gas effects on the solar cycle response of water vapour and noctilucent clouds
Ashique Vellalassery
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Rostock,
Schloßstraße 6, 18225 Kühlungsborn, Germany
Gerd Baumgarten
Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Rostock,
Schloßstraße 6, 18225 Kühlungsborn, Germany
Mykhaylo Grygalashvyly
Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Rostock,
Schloßstraße 6, 18225 Kühlungsborn, Germany
Franz-Josef Lübken
Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the University of Rostock,
Schloßstraße 6, 18225 Kühlungsborn, Germany
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Mohamed Mossad, Irina Strelnikova, Robin Wing, Gerd Baumgarten, and Michael Gerding
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3267, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3267, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics (ACP).
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We recorded atmospheric waves over seven years with a lidar in northern Norway, analysing temperature and wind from 35 to 60 km altitude. This yielded the first long-term picture of how wave energy varies with height and season at this location. Winter carried up to ten times more energy than summer, and the balance shifted with wavelength and frequency. Energy patterns often diverged from textbook slopes. These findings refine our view of the upper atmosphere at high latitudes.
Jens Fiedler, Gerd Baumgarten, Michael Gerding, Torsten Köpnick, Reik Ostermann, and Bernd Kaifler
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1995, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1995, 2025
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We developed a system for frequency control and monitoring of pulsed high-power lasers. It works in real-time, controls the laser cavity length, and performs a spectral analyzes of each individual laser pulse. The motivation for this work was to improve the retrieval of Doppler winds measured by lidar in the middle atmosphere by taking the frequency stability of the lidar transmitter into account.
Natalie Kaifler, Bernd Kaifler, Markus Rapp, Guiping Liu, Diego Janches, Gerd Baumgarten, and Jose-Luis Hormaechea
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 14029–14044, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14029-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-14029-2024, 2024
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Noctilucent clouds (NLCs) are silvery clouds that can be viewed during twilight and indicate atmospheric conditions like temperature and water vapor in the upper mesosphere. High-resolution measurements from a remote sensing laser instrument provide NLC height, brightness, and occurrence rate since 2017. Most observations occur in the morning hours, likely caused by strong tidal winds, and NLC ice particles are thus transported from elsewhere to the observing location in the Southern Hemisphere.
Jens Fiedler and Gerd Baumgarten
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 5841–5859, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5841-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5841-2024, 2024
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This article describes the current status of a lidar installed at ALOMAR in northern Norway. It has investigated the Arctic middle atmosphere on a climatological basis for 30 years. We discuss major upgrades of the system implemented during recent years, including methods for reliable remote operation of this complex lidar. We also show examples that illustrate the performance of the lidar during measurements at different altitude ranges and timescales.
Michael Gerding, Robin Wing, Eframir Franco-Diaz, Gerd Baumgarten, Jens Fiedler, Torsten Köpnick, and Reik Ostermann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2789–2809, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2789-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2789-2024, 2024
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This paper describes a new lidar system developed in Germany intended to study wind and temperature at night in the middle atmosphere. The paper explains how we have set up the system to work automatically and gives technical details for anyone who wants to build a similar system. We present a case study showing temperatures and winds at different altitudes. In a future article, we will present how we process the data and deal with uncertainties.
Thorben H. Mense, Josef Höffner, Gerd Baumgarten, Ronald Eixmann, Jan Froh, Alsu Mauer, Alexander Munk, Robin Wing, and Franz-Josef Lübken
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1665–1677, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1665-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1665-2024, 2024
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A novel lidar system with five beams measured horizontal and vertical winds together, reaching altitudes up to 25 km. Developed in Germany, it revealed accurate horizontal wind data compared to forecasts, but vertical wind estimates differed. The lidar's capability to detect small-scale wind patterns was highlighted, advancing atmospheric research.
Eframir Franco-Diaz, Michael Gerding, Laura Holt, Irina Strelnikova, Robin Wing, Gerd Baumgarten, and Franz-Josef Lübken
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 1543–1558, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1543-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-1543-2024, 2024
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We use satellite, lidar, and ECMWF data to study storm-related waves that propagate above Kühlungsborn, Germany, during summer. Although these events occur in roughly half of the years of the satellite data we analyzed, we focus our study on two case study years (2014 and 2015). These events could contribute significantly to middle atmospheric circulation and are not accounted for in weather and climate models.
Mohamed Mossad, Irina Strelnikova, Robin Wing, and Gerd Baumgarten
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 783–799, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-783-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-783-2024, 2024
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This numerical study addresses observational gaps' impact on atmospheric gravity wave spectra. Three methods, fast Fourier transform (FFT), generalized Lomb–Scargle periodogram (GLS), and Haar structure function (HSF), were tested on synthetic data. HSF is best for spectra with negative slopes. GLS excels for flat and positive slopes and identifying dominant frequencies. Accurately estimating these aspects is crucial for understanding gravity wave dynamics and energy transfer in the atmosphere.
Anna Lange, Gerd Baumgarten, Alexei Rozanov, and Christian von Savigny
Ann. Geophys., 40, 407–419, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-407-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-407-2022, 2022
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We investigate the influence of different parameters on the colour of noctilucent clouds (highest clouds in the atmosphere), using radiative transfer calculations. We determined the effect of the particle size, optical depth, single scattering/multiple scattering and ozone. For sufficiently large optical depth and for specific viewing geometries, ozone plays only a minor role in the blueish colour of noctilucent clouds (new result).
Franz-Josef Lübken and Josef Höffner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 3815–3836, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-3815-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-3815-2021, 2021
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We present a new concept for a cluster of lidars that allows us to measure time-resolved profiles of temperatures, winds, and aerosols in the entire middle atmosphere for the first time, also covering regional horizontal scales (
four-dimensional coverage). Measurements are performed during day and night. The essential component is a newly developed laser with unprecedented performance. We present the first measurements. New observational capabilities in atmospheric physics are established.
Mykhaylo Grygalashvyly, Alexander I. Pogoreltsev, Alexey B. Andreyev, Sergei P. Smyshlyaev, and Gerd R. Sonnemann
Ann. Geophys., 39, 255–265, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-255-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-255-2021, 2021
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Ground-based observations show a phase shift in semi-annual variation of excited hydroxyl emissions at mid-latitudes compared to those at low latitudes. This differs from the annual cycle at high latitudes. We found that this shift in the semi-annual cycle is determined mainly by the superposition of annual variations of T and O concentration. The winter peak for emission is determined exclusively by atomic oxygen concentration, whereas the summer peak is the superposition of all impacts.
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Short summary
The solar cycle affects the H2O concentration in the upper mesosphere mainly in two ways: directly through photolysis and, at the time and place of NLC formation, indirectly through temperature changes. The H2O–Lyman-α response is modified by NLC formation, resulting in a positive response at the ice formation region (due to the temperature change effect on the ice formation rate) and a negative response at the sublimation zone (due to the photolysis effect).
The solar cycle affects the H2O concentration in the upper mesosphere mainly in two ways:...