Hannover 2010 – scientific programme

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UP: Fachverband Umweltphysik

UP 4: Remote Sensing

UP 4.7: Talk

Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 15:45–16:00, M 11

Impact of solar proton events on noctilucent clouds — •Nabiz Rahpoe¹, Christian von Savigny¹, Charles E. Robert¹, John P. Burrows¹, and M. DeLand² — ¹IEP, University of Bremen, Germany — ²Science Systems and Applications Inc. (SSAI),Maryland, USA

The impact of SPEs (Solar Proton Events) on NLCs (Noctilucent Clouds) is studied using the 23-year NLC data set based on measurements with SBUV instruments on NIMBUS 7 and the NOAA 9-17 satellites. We analyzed the GOES proton flux and NLC time series in order to find significant anti-correlations between proton fluxes and NLC occurrence rates and albedo. We focused on the analysis of the years when SPEs occurred during the core NLC season. For several cases anti-correlations of NLC and proton fluxes were found. For an increase of the proton flux of several orders of magnitude (with proton energies E > 5 MeV) during the NLC season we find a NLC reduction in NLC occurence rate or albedo of up to 50 % (relative to maximum).