Bonn 2010 – scientific programme

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EP: Fachverband Extraterrestrische Physik

EP 1: Near Earth Space I

EP 1.6: Talk

Monday, March 15, 2010, 10:45–11:00, AKM

Measurements of mesospheric ice aerosols using radars and rockets — •Irina Strelnikova, Qiang Li, Boris Strelnikov, and Markus Rapp — Leibniz Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Schloss-Str. 6, 18225 Kuhlungsborn, Germany

Polar summer mesopause is the coldest region of Earth's atmosphere with temperatures as low as minus 130° C. In this extreme environment ice aerosol layers have appeared. Larger aerosols can be seen from the ground as clouds known as NLC (Noctilucent clouds). Ice aerosols from sub-visible range give rise to the phenomena known as Polar Mesosphere Sommer Echo (PMSE). For efficient scattering, electron number density must be structured at the radar half wavelength (Bragg condition). The general requirement to allow for the observation of structures at VHF and higher frequencies is that the dust size (and charge number) must be large enough to extend the convective-diffusive subrange of the energy spectrum of electrons (by reducing their diffusivity) to the wavelength which is shorter than the Bragg-scale of the probing radar. In this paper we present main results of ice particles measurements inside the PMSE layers obtained from in situ rocket soundings and newly developed radar techniques.