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Cupri observations of PMSE during Salvo B of NLC‐91: Evidence of both partial reflection and turbulent scatter
Author(s) -
Cho John Y. N.,
Swartz Wesley E.,
Kelley Michael C.,
Miller Clark A.
Publication year - 1993
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 - 10.1029/93gl01600
Subject(s) - reflection (computer programming) , physics , mesosphere , turbulence , zenith , radar , optics , sounding rocket , rocket (weapon) , geology , atmospheric sciences , meteorology , stratosphere , astronomy , telecommunications , engineering , computer science , programming language , aerospace engineering
During the first rocket sequence (called Salvo B) of the NLC‐91 campaign, the Cornell University Portable Radar Interferometer (CUPRI) observed two simultaneously occurring layers of Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes (PMSE). During the time of the Turbo B flight, the high time‐resolution CUPRI Doppler spectra exhibited sawtooth‐like discontinuities in the lower layer which we interpret to be a distorted partial reflection layer which was advected across the radar beam. The upper layer, on the other hand, appeared to be caused by turbulent scatter and we estimate the turbulence energy dissipation rate in the upper layer at the time of the Turbo B flight to have been approximately 0.04 W/kg. Furthermore, a shift in the antenna beam direction from vertical to 8° off zenith revealed an aspect sensitivity of approximately 5 dB in the lower layer but none in the upper layer. We conclude that, at this particular time, turbulent scatter was responsible for the upper layer while some form of partial reflection was dominant in the lower layer.