Premium
First Simultaneous Rocket and Radar Detections of Rare Low Summer Mesospheric Clouds
Author(s) -
Havnes O.,
Latteck R.,
Hartquist T. W.,
Antonsen T.
Publication year - 2018
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 - 10.1029/2018gl078218
Subject(s) - rocket (weapon) , atmospheric sciences , radar , atmosphere (unit) , environmental science , meteor (satellite) , meteorology , meteoroid , mesosphere , physics , astrobiology , stratosphere , aerospace engineering , engineering
On 30 June 2016 a layer of dust, possibly meteoric smoke particles (MSPs), was observed with a rocket borne probe at 69.29°N, 16.02°E and altitudes of ~74 km where patchy thin cloud layers, detected with the Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System, were present. The rocket traversed a layer with a net positive dust charge density of ~10 7 unit charges per cubic meters and a number density of neutral dust particles with sizes ≥4 nm of ~10 8 m −3 . The positive charge density may require that elements that lower the photoelectric work function coat MSPs. The presence of this relatively large dust is consistent with smaller MSPs being swept out of the low mesospheric cloud region during the summer, while larger MSPs remain where their fall velocities equals the circulation updraught velocities. Large MSPs initially embedded in icy particles that subsequently sublimate may also fall until their fall velocities match the updraught velocities.