Simultaneous atomic and ion layer enhancements observed in the mesopause region over Arecibo during the Coqui II sounding rocket campaign

Abstract

The NASA Coqui II sounding rocket campaign in Puerto Rico provided the opportunity to obtain a large number of lidar and incoherent scatter radar observations of atomic sodium and ion layers in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Sodium layer enhancements, coupled with ion layers, were frequently observed in the range of 90-105 km altitude. We found that above 97 km all of the enhanced Na layers were observed to have an associated ion layer, and below that altitude some Na enhancements could occur in their absence. Finally, we show one extraordinary case of a sporadic Na layer that grew to near its peak concentration before the associated ion layer appeared at its altitude.