Premium
Solar cycle response and long‐term trends in the mesospheric metal layers
Author(s) -
Dawkins E. C. M.,
Plane J. M. C.,
Chipperfield M. P.,
Feng W.,
Marsh D. R.,
Höffner J.,
Janches D.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1002/2016ja022522
Subject(s) - thermosphere , meteoroid , atmospheric sciences , atmosphere (unit) , mesosphere , environmental science , solar cycle , solar maximum , atmosphere of earth , period (music) , climatology , geology , ionosphere , meteorology , astrobiology , physics , stratosphere , solar wind , geophysics , quantum mechanics , magnetic field , acoustics
The meteoric metal layers (Na, Fe, and K)—which form as a result of the ablation of incoming meteors—act as unique tracers for chemical and dynamical processes that occur within the upper mesosphere/lower thermosphere region. In this work, we examine whether these metal layers are sensitive indicators of decadal long‐term changes within the upper atmosphere. Output from a whole‐atmosphere climate model is used to assess the response of the Na, K, and Fe layers across a 50 year period (1955–2005). At short timescales, the K layer has previously been shown to exhibit a very different seasonal behavior compared to the other metals. Here we show that this unusual behavior is also exhibited at longer timescales (both the ~11 year solar cycle and 50 year periods), where K displays a much more pronounced response to atmospheric temperature changes than either Na or Fe. The contrasting solar cycle behavior of the K and Na layers predicted by the model is confirmed using satellite and lidar observations for the period 2004–2013.