Articles | Volume 41, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-93-2023
© 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-41-93-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Regular paper
| 
14 Feb 2023
Regular paper |
| 14 Feb 2023
| 14 Feb 2023
Modulation of polar mesospheric summer echoes (PMSEs) with high-frequency heating during low solar illumination
Tinna L. Gunnarsdottir
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Physics and Technology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
Arne Poggenpohl
Department of Physics and Technology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
Physics Faculty, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
Ingrid Mann
Department of Physics and Technology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
Alireza Mahmoudian
Institute of Geophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Peter Dalin
Swedish Institute of Space Physics, IRF, Kiruna, Sweden
Ingemar Haeggstroem
EISCAT Scientific Association, Kiruna, Sweden
Michael Rietveld
EISCAT Scientific Association, Ramfjord, Norway
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Tinna L. Gunnarsdottir, Ingrid Mann, Wuhu Feng, Devin R. Huyghebaert, Ingemar Haeggstroem, Yasunobu Ogawa, Norihito Saito, Satonori Nozawa, and Takuya D. Kawahara
Ann. Geophys., 42, 213–228, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-213-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-213-2024, 2024
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Several tons of meteoric particles burn up in our atmosphere each day. This deposits a great deal of material that binds with other atmospheric particles and forms so-called meteoric smoke particles. These particles are assumed to influence radar measurements. Here, we have compared radar measurements with simulations of a radar spectrum with and without dust particles and found that dust influences the radar spectrum in the altitude range of 75–85 km.
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This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Annales Geophysicae (ANGEO).
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A transatlantic scientific balloon flight (TRANSAT) was conducted in June 2024. The TRANSAT balloon floated in the stratosphere at approximately 40 km altitude between Sweden and Canada for about 4 days. An optical imager was installed on the TRANSAT balloon to study noctilucent cloud (NLC). Nearly continuous observations of NLC were obtained during the entire flight. A complex NLC structures exhibiting different motions were found to result from wind rotation with altitude between 80 and 94 km.
Dorota Jozwicki, Puneet Sharma, Devin Huyghebaert, and Ingrid Mann
Ann. Geophys., 42, 431–453, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-431-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-431-2024, 2024
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We investigated the relationship between polar mesospheric summer echo (PMSE) layers and the solar cycle. Our results indicate that the average altitude of PMSEs, the echo power in the PMSEs and the thickness of the layers are, on average, higher during the solar maximum than during the solar minimum. We infer that higher electron densities at ionospheric altitudes might be necessary to observe multilayered PMSEs. We observe that the thickness decreases as the number of multilayers increases.
Adrien Pineau, Henriette Trollvik, Herman Greaker, Sveinung Olsen, Yngve Eilertsen, and Ingrid Mann
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3843–3861, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3843-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3843-2024, 2024
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The mesosphere, part of the upper atmosphere, contains small solid dust particles, mostly made up of material from interplanetary space. We are preparing an experiment to collect such particles during a rocket flight. A new instrument has been designed and numerical simulations have been performed to investigate the airflow nearby as well as its dust collection efficiency. The collected dust particles will be further analyzed in the laboratory in order to study their chemical composition.
Tinna L. Gunnarsdottir, Ingrid Mann, Wuhu Feng, Devin R. Huyghebaert, Ingemar Haeggstroem, Yasunobu Ogawa, Norihito Saito, Satonori Nozawa, and Takuya D. Kawahara
Ann. Geophys., 42, 213–228, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-213-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-213-2024, 2024
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Several tons of meteoric particles burn up in our atmosphere each day. This deposits a great deal of material that binds with other atmospheric particles and forms so-called meteoric smoke particles. These particles are assumed to influence radar measurements. Here, we have compared radar measurements with simulations of a radar spectrum with and without dust particles and found that dust influences the radar spectrum in the altitude range of 75–85 km.
Samuel Kočiščák, Andreas Kvammen, Ingrid Mann, Nicole Meyer-Vernet, David Píša, Jan Souček, Audun Theodorsen, Jakub Vaverka, and Arnaud Zaslavsky
Ann. Geophys., 42, 191–212, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-191-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-191-2024, 2024
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In situ observations are crucial for understanding interplanetary dust, yet not every spacecraft has a dedicated dust detector. Dust encounters happen at great speeds, leading to high energy density at impact, which leads to ionization and charge release, which is detected with electrical antennas. Our work looks at how the transient charge plume interacts with Solar Orbiter spacecraft. Our findings are relevant for the design of future experiments and the understanding of present data.
Peter Dalin, Urban Brändström, Johan Kero, Peter Voelger, Takanori Nishiyama, Trond Trondsen, Devin Wyatt, Craig Unick, Vladimir Perminov, Nikolay Pertsev, and Jonas Hedin
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 1561–1576, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1561-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-1561-2024, 2024
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A novel infrared imaging instrument (OH imager) was put into operation in November 2022 at the Swedish Institute of Space Physics in Kiruna (Sweden). The OH imager is dedicated to the study of nightglow emissions coming from the hydroxyl (OH) and molecular oxygen (O2) layers in the mesopause (80–100 km). Based on a brightness ratio of two OH emission lines, the neutral temperature is estimated at around 87 km. The average daily winter temperature for the period January–April 2023 is 203±10 K.
Thomas B. Leyser, Tima Sergienko, Urban Brändström, Björn Gustavsson, and Michael T. Rietveld
Ann. Geophys., 41, 589–600, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-589-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-589-2023, 2023
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Powerful radio waves transmitted into the ionosphere from the ground were used to study electron energization in the pumped ionospheric plasma turbulence, by detecting optical emissions from atomic oxygen. Our results obtained with the EISCAT (European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association) facilities in northern Norway and optical detection with the ALIS (Auroral Large Imaging System) in northern Sweden suggest that long-wavelength upper hybrid waves are important in accelerating electrons.
Florian Günzkofer, Dimitry Pokhotelov, Gunter Stober, Ingrid Mann, Sharon L. Vadas, Erich Becker, Anders Tjulin, Alexander Kozlovsky, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Evgenia Belova, Johan Kero, Nicholas J. Mitchell, and Claudia Borries
Ann. Geophys., 41, 409–428, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-409-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-409-2023, 2023
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Gravity waves (GWs) are waves in Earth's atmosphere and can be observed as cloud ripples. Under certain conditions, these waves can propagate up into the ionosphere. Here, they can cause ripples in the ionosphere plasma, observable as oscillations of the plasma density. Therefore, GWs contribute to the ionospheric variability, making them relevant for space weather prediction. Additionally, the behavior of these waves allows us to draw conclusions about the atmosphere at these altitudes.
Andreas Kvammen, Kristoffer Wickstrøm, Samuel Kociscak, Jakub Vaverka, Libor Nouzak, Arnaud Zaslavsky, Kristina Rackovic Babic, Amalie Gjelsvik, David Pisa, Jan Soucek, and Ingrid Mann
Ann. Geophys., 41, 69–86, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-69-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-69-2023, 2023
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Collisional fragmentation of asteroids, comets and meteoroids is the main source of dust in the solar system. The dust distribution is however uncharted and the role of dust in the solar system is largely unknown. At present, the interplanetary medium is explored by the Solar Orbiter spacecraft. We present a novel method, based on artificial intelligence, that can be used for detecting dust impacts in Solar Orbiter observations with high accuracy, advancing the study of dust in the solar system.
Kyoko K. Tanaka, Ingrid Mann, and Yuki Kimura
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 5639–5650, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5639-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5639-2022, 2022
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We have investigated the nucleation process of noctilucent clouds observed in the mesosphere using a theoretical approach, where we adopt a more accurate model called the semi-phenomenological model for the nucleation process. We obtained an important result that rejects one of the two dominant nucleation mechanisms that have been proposed. Our results show it is extremely difficult for homogeneous nucleation of water to occur in the mesosphere, while heterogeneous nucleation occurs effectively.
Margaretha Myrvang, Carsten Baumann, and Ingrid Mann
Ann. Geophys., 39, 1055–1068, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-1055-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-1055-2021, 2021
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Our model calculations indicate that meteoric smoke particles (MSPs) influence both the magnitude and shape of the electron temperature during artificial heating. Others have found that current theoretical models most likely overestimate heating in the D-region compared to observations. In a future study, we will compare our results to observations of the electron temperature during heating to investigate if the presence of MSPs can explain the discrepancy between model and observations.
Tarjei Antonsen, Ingrid Mann, Jakub Vaverka, Libor Nouzak, and Åshild Fredriksen
Ann. Geophys., 39, 533–548, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-533-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-39-533-2021, 2021
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This paper discusses the charge generation for impacts of nano- to micro-scale dust on metal surfaces at speeds below a few kilometres per second. By introducing a model of capacitive coupling between the dust and the impact surface, we find that at such low speeds, the charge can be dominated by contact charging as opposed to plasma generation.
Peter Dalin, Hidehiko Suzuki, Nikolay Pertsev, Vladimir Perminov, Nikita Shevchuk, Egor Tsimerinov, Mark Zalcik, Jay Brausch, Tom McEwan, Iain McEachran, Martin Connors, Ian Schofield, Audrius Dubietis, Kazimieras Černis, Alexander Zadorozhny, Andrey Solodovnik, Daria Lifatova, Jesper Grønne, Ole Hansen, Holger Andersen, Dmitry Melnikov, Alexander Manevich, Nikolay Gusev, and Vitaly Romejko
Ann. Geophys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-2021-28, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-2021-28, 2021
Revised manuscript not accepted
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The 2020 summer season has revealed frequent occurrences of noctilucent clouds around the Northern hemisphere at middle latitudes (45–55° N). We have found that there has been a moderate decrease in the upper mesosphere temperature between 2016 and 2020 and no dramatic changes have been observed in temperature in the summer of 2020 at the middle latitude mesopause. At the same time, water vapor concentration has significantly increased in the zonal mean H2O value in the 2020 summer.
Joshua Baptiste, Connor Williamson, John Fox, Anthony J. Stace, Muhammad Hassan, Stefanie Braun, Benjamin Stamm, Ingrid Mann, and Elena Besley
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 8735–8745, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8735-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8735-2021, 2021
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Agglomeration of ice and dust particles in the mesosphere are studied, using classical electrostatic approaches which are extended to capture the induced polarisation of surface charge. The instances of strong attraction between particles of the same sign of charge are predicted, which take place at small separation distances and also lead to the formation of stable aggregates.
Viswanathan Lakshmi Narayanan, Satonori Nozawa, Shin-Ichiro Oyama, Ingrid Mann, Kazuo Shiokawa, Yuichi Otsuka, Norihito Saito, Satoshi Wada, Takuya D. Kawahara, and Toru Takahashi
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 2343–2361, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-2343-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-2343-2021, 2021
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In the past, additional sodium peaks occurring above the main sodium layer of the upper mesosphere were discussed. Here, formation of an additional sodium peak below the main sodium layer peak is discussed in detail. The event coincided with passage of multiple mesospheric bores, which are step-like disturbances occurring in the upper mesosphere. Hence, this work highlights the importance of such mesospheric bores in causing significant changes to the minor species concentration in a short time.
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Short summary
Temperatures at 85 km around Earth's poles in summer can be so cold that small ice particles form. These can become charged, and, combined with turbulence at these altitudes, they can influence the many electrons present. This can cause large radar echoes called polar mesospheric summer echoes. We use radio waves to heat these echoes on and off when the sun is close to or below the horizon. This allows us to gain some insight into these ice particles and how the sun influences the echoes.
Temperatures at 85 km around Earth's poles in summer can be so cold that small ice particles...
