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Remote sensing lower thermosphere wind profiles using non‐specular meteor echoes
Author(s) -
Oppenheim Meers M.,
Sugar Glenn,
Slowey Nicholas O.,
Bass Elizabeth,
Chau Jorge L.,
Close Sigrid
Publication year - 2009
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 - 10.1029/2009gl037353
Subject(s) - meteor (satellite) , thermosphere , altitude (triangle) , geology , remote sensing , lidar , radar , earth's magnetic field , observatory , ionosphere , wind speed , atmospheric sounding , range (aeronautics) , ionospheric sounding , specular reflection , geodesy , meteorology , geophysics , physics , optics , magnetic field , astronomy , aerospace engineering , oceanography , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics , engineering
This article describes a new method of measuring wind velocity profiles between 93 km and 110 km altitude by tracking non‐specular meteor echoes as neutral winds transport the plasma trails. This requires a large VHF radar with interferometric capability able to point nearly perpendicular to the geomagnetic field. A small data sample from the Jicamarca Radio Observatory allows the measurement of horizontal wind speeds and directions with a range resolution of a few hundred meters. These observations show speeds reaching 150 m/s and sometimes changing by as much as 100 m/s over a 6 km altitude range. At the best times, these measurements can be made with only a few minutes of data. With some refinement of the data collection and analysis techniques, this technique should produce high resolution images of lower thermospheric winds as they change in both altitude and time.