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Mesospheric potassium layer over the Arecibo Observatory, 18.3°N 66.75°W
Author(s) -
Friedman Jonathan S.,
Collins Stephen C.,
Delgado Rubén,
Castleberg Paul A.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2001gl013542
Subject(s) - altitude (triangle) , atmospheric sciences , observatory , environmental science , latitude , seasonality , lidar , variation (astronomy) , potassium , climatology , geology , physics , remote sensing , astrophysics , geodesy , materials science , statistics , geometry , mathematics , metallurgy
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.