On the relationship between seasonal occurrence of northern hemispheric polar mesosphere summer echoes and mean mesopause temperatures

21Citations
Citations of this article
7Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

The occurrence of polar mesospheric summer echoes (PMSE) has been closely associated with the seasonal cooling of the high-latitude summer mesopause region wherein the echoes are embedded. Indeed, a "threshold" temperature has been suggested, with PMSE appearing as mesosphere temperatures fall below some critical value. A careful comparison between seasonally varying mean mesopause temperatures and PMSE occurrence statistics, however, suggests that the probability curve of PMSE occurrence is displaced from the seasonal curve of low summer mesopause temperatures by 1 to 2 weeks, with the temperature decrease leading the PMSE occurrence curve in springtime and the temperature increase leading the PMSE dropout in the fall. A similar displacement can also be seen in the occurrence statistics for polar mesospheric clouds (PMC), a closely related phenomenon observed by satellites. This lack of a direct correlation between mesopause temperature and PMSE occurrence suggests that PMSE occurrence is governed by more than just low mesospheric temperatures. The most likely possibility is that summertime mesospheric water vapor maximizes somewhat later than the minimum in mesospheric temperature, providing a more hospitable environment for PMSE generation. This possibility is supported by a model of the supersaturation region [Garcia, 1989], which shows a comparable lag between the seasonal mesospheric temperature minimum and the maximum in water vapor mixing ratio.

References Powered by Scopus

Mesospheric clouds and the physics of the mesopause region

232Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Polar mesosphere summer radar echoes: Observations and current theories

186Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Thermal structure of the mesopause region at polar latitudes

182Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Cited by Powered by Scopus

Water vapor of the polar middle atmosphere: Annual variation and summer mesosphere conditions as observed by ground-based microwave spectroscopy

91Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Differences in near-mesopause summer winds, temperatures, and water vapor at northern and southern latitudes as possible causal factors for inter-hemispheric PMSE differences

33Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

The 1997 PMSE season - Its relation to wind, temperature and water vapour

30Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Balsley, B. B., & Huaman, M. (1997). On the relationship between seasonal occurrence of northern hemispheric polar mesosphere summer echoes and mean mesopause temperatures. Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, 102(2), 2021–2024. https://doi.org/10.1029/96jd01243

Readers over time

‘15‘17‘20‘2400.511.52

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 3

60%

Researcher 2

40%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Physics and Astronomy 2

40%

Earth and Planetary Sciences 2

40%

Engineering 1

20%

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free
0