| 1. |
- Achtert, Peggy, 1982-
(författare)
-
Lidar Measurements of Polar Stratospheric Clouds in the Arctic
- 2013
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs) play a key role for ozone depletion in the polar stratosphere. Its magnitude depends on the type of PSC and its lifetime and extent. This thesis presents PSC observations conducted with the Esrange lidar and the space-borne CALIPSO lidar.PSCs are separated into three types according to their optical properties. The occurrence rate of the different types which are often observed simultaneously as well as their interaction and connection is not well understood. To better understand the processes that govern PSC formation, observations need to be combined with a detailed view of the atmospheric background in which PSCs develop, exist, and are transformed from one type to another.This thesis introduces a new channel of the Esrange lidar for temperature profiling at heights below 35 km. The design of this channel and first temperature measurements within PSCs and cirrus clouds are presented. This is an important step since the majority of PSC-related literature extracts temperatures within PSCs from reanalysis data.In contrast to ground–based measurements space–borne lidar does not rely on cloud–free conditions. Hence, it provides an unprecedented opportunity for studying the connection between PSCs and the underlying synoptic–scale conditions which manifest as tropospheric clouds. This thesis shows that most of the PSCs observed in the Arctic during winter 2007/08 occurred in connection with tropospheric clouds.A combined analysis of ground-based and space-borne lidar observation of PSCs in combination with microphysical modeling can improve our understanding of PSC formation. A first case study of this approach shows how a PSC that was formed by synoptic-scale processes is transformed into another type while passing the Scandinavian mountains.Today a variety of classification schemes provides inconsistent information on PSC properties and types. This thesis suggests a unified classification scheme for lidar measurements of PSCs.
|
|
| 2. |
- Achtert, Peggy, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
-
On the linkage between tropospheric and Polar Stratospheric clouds in the Arctic as observed by space-borne lidar
- 2012
-
Ingår i: Atmospheric Chemistry And Physics. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1680-7316 .- 1680-7324. ; 12:8, s. 3791-3798
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The type of Polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) as well as their temporal and spatial extent are important for the occurrence of heterogeneous reactions in the polar stratosphere. The formation of PSCs depends strongly on temperature. However, the mechanisms of the formation of solid PSCs are still poorly understood. Recent satellite studies of Antarctic PSCs have shown that their formation can be associated with deep-tropospheric clouds which have the ability to cool the lower stratosphere radiatively and/or adiabatically. In the present study, lidar measurements aboard the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite were used to investigate whether the formation of Arctic PSCs can be associated with deep-tropospheric clouds as well. Deep-tropospheric cloud systems have a vertical extent of more than 6.5 km with a cloud top height above 7 km altitude. PSCs observed by CALIPSO during the Arctic winter 2007/2008 were classified according to their type (STS, NAT, or ice) and to the kind of underlying tropospheric clouds. Our analysis reveals that 172 out of 211 observed PSCs occurred in connection with tropospheric clouds. 72% of these 172 observed PSCs occurred above deep-tropospheric clouds. We also find that the type of PSC seems to be connected to the characteristics of the underlying tropospheric cloud system. During the Arctic winter 2007/2008 PSCs consisting of ice were mainly observed in connection with deep-tropospheric cloud systems while no ice PSC was detected above cirrus. Furthermore, we find no correlation between the occurrence of PSCs and the top temperature of tropospheric clouds. Thus, our findings suggest that Arctic PSC formation is connected to adiabatice cooling, i.e. dynamic effects rather than radiative cooling.
|
|
| 3. |
- Achtert, Peggy, 1982-, et al.
(författare)
-
Pure rotational-Raman channels of the Esrange lidar for temperature and particle extinction measurements in the troposphere and lower stratosphere
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Atmospheric Measurement Techniques. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1867-1381 .- 1867-8548. ; 6:1, s. 91-98
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Department of Meteorology at Stockholm University operates the Esrange Rayleigh/Raman lidar at Esrange(68° N, 21° E) near the Swedish city of Kiruna. This paper describes the design and first measurements of the newpure rotational-Raman channel of the Esrange lidar. The Esrange lidar uses a pulsed Nd:YAG solid-state laser operating at 532 nm as light source with a repetition rate of 20 Hz and a pulse energy of 350 mJ. The minimum vertical resolution is 150m and the integration time for one profile is 5000 shots. The newly implemented channel allows for measurements of atmospheric temperature at altitudes below 35 km and is currently optimized for temperature measurements between 180 and 200 K. This corresponds to conditions in the lower Arctic stratosphere during winter. In addition to the temperature measurements, the aerosol extinction coefficientand the aerosol backscatter coefficient at 532 nm can be measured in dependently. Our filter-based design minimizes the systematic error in the obtained temperature profile to less than 0.51 K. By combining rotational-Raman measurements (5–35 km height) and the integration technique (30–80 kmheight), the Esrange lidar is now capable of measuring atmospheric temperature profiles from the upper troposphere up to the mesosphere. With the improved setup, the system can be used to validate current lidar-based polar stratospheric cloud classification schemes. The new capability of the instrument measuring temperature and aerosol extinction furthermore enables studies of the thermal structure and variability of the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere. Although several lidars are operated at polar latitudes, there are few instruments that are capable of measuring temperature profiles in the troposphere, stratosphere, and mesosphere, as well as aerosols extinction in the troposphere and lower stratospherewith daylight capability.
|
|
| 4. |
- Belova, E., et al.
(författare)
-
Multi-radar observations of polar mesosphere summer echoes during the PHOCUS campaign on 20-22 July 2011
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1364-6826 .- 1879-1824. ; 118, s. 199-205
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the PHOCUS rocket campaign, on 20-22 July 2011, the observations of polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE) were made by three mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere radars, operating at about 50 MHz. One radar, ESRAD is located at Esrange in Sweden, where the rocket was launched, two other radars, MAARSY and MORRO, are located 250 km north-west and 200 km north of the ESRAD, respectively, on the other side of the Scandinavian mountain ridge. We compared PMSE as measured by these three radars in terms of their strength, spectral width and wave modulation. Time-altitude maps of PMSE strength look very similar for all three radars. Cross-correlations with maximum values 0.5-0.6 were found between the signal powers over the three days of observations for each pair of radars. By using cross-spectrum analysis of PMSE signals, we show that some waves with periods of a few hours were observed by all three radars. Unlike the strengths, simultaneous values of PMSE spectral width, which is related to turbulence, sometimes differ significantly between the radars. For interpretation of the results we suggested that large-scale fields of neutral temperature, ice particles and electron density, which are more or less uniform over 150-250 km horizontal extent were 'modulated' by waves and smaller patches of turbulence.
|
|
| 5. |
- Dawkins, E. C. M., et al.
(författare)
-
First global observations of the mesospheric potassium layer
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Geophysical Research Letters. - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 41:15, s. 5653-5661
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Metal species, produced by meteoric ablation, act as useful tracers of upper atmosphere dynamics and chemistry. Of these meteoric metals, K is an enigma: at extratropical latitudes, limited available lidar data show that the K layer displays a semiannual seasonal variability, rather than the annual pattern seen in other metals such as Na and Fe. Here we present the first near-global K retrieval, where K atom number density profiles are derived from dayglow measurements made by the Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imager System spectrometer on board the Odin satellite. This robust retrieval produces density profiles with typical layer peak errors of 15% and a 2km vertical grid resolution. We demonstrate that these retrieved profiles compare well with available lidar data and show for the first time that the unusual semiannual behavior is near-global in extent. This new data set has wider applications for improving understanding of the K chemistry and of related upper atmosphere processes.
|
|
| 6. |
- Ehard, Benedikt, et al.
(författare)
-
Long-term lidar observations of wintertime gravity wave activity over northern Sweden
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Annales Geophysicae. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 0992-7689 .- 1432-0576. ; 32:11, s. 1395-1405
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents an analysis of gravity wave activity over northern Sweden as deduced from 18 years of wintertime lidar measurements at Esrange (68ºN, 21ºE). Gravity wave potential energy density (GWPED) was used to characterize the strength of gravity waves in the altitude regions 30–40km and 40–50 km. The obtained values ex- ceed previous observations reported in the literature. This is suggested to be due to Esrange’s location downwind of the Scandinavian mountain range and due to differences in the various methods that are currently used to retrieve gravity wave parameters. The analysis method restricted the identification of the dominating vertical wavelengths to a range from 2 to 13 km. No preference was found for any wavelength in this window. Monthly mean values of GW- PED show that most of the gravity waves’ energy dissipates well below the stratopause and that higher altitude regions show only small dissipation rates of GWPED. Our analy- sis does not reproduce the previously reported negative trend in gravity wave activity over Esrange. The observed inter-annual variability of GWPED is connected to the occurrence of stratospheric warmings with generally lower wintertime mean GWPED during years with major stratospheric warmings. A bimodal GWPED occurrence frequency indicates that gravitywave activity at Esrange is affected by both ubiq- uitous wave sources and orographic forcing.
|
|
| 7. |
|
|
| 8. |
- Havnes, O., et al.
(författare)
-
On the size distribution of collision fragments of NLC dust particles and their relevance to meteoric smoke particles
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1364-6826 .- 1879-1824. ; 118, s. 190-198
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the results from a new dust probe MUDD on the PHOCUS payload which was launched in July 2011. In the interior of MUDD all the incoming NLC/PMSE icy dust particles will collide, at an impact angle similar to 70 degrees to the surface normal, with a grid constructed such that no dust particles can directly hit the bottom plate of the probe. Only collision fragments will continue down towards the bottom plate. We determine an energy distribution of the charged fragments by applying a variable electric field between the impact grid and the bottom plate of MUDD. We find that similar to 30% of the charged fragments have kinetic energies less than 10 eV, similar to 20% have energies between 10 and 20 eV while similar to 50% have energies above 20 eV. The transformation of limits in kinetic energy for ice or meteoric smoke particles (MSP) to radius is dependent on many assumptions, the most crucial being fragment velocity. We find, however, that the sizes of the charged fragments most probably are in the range of 1 to 2 nm if meteoric smoke particles (MSP), and slightly higher if ice particles. The observed high charging fraction and the dominance of fragment sizes below a few nm makes it very unlikely that the fragments can consist mainly of ice but that they must be predominantly MSP as predicted by Havnes and N ae sheim (2007) and recently observed by Hervig et al. (2012). The MUDD results indicate that MSP are embedded in NLC/PMSE ice particles with a minimum volume filling factor of similar to.05% in the unlikely case that all embedded MSP are released and charged. A few % volume filling factor (Hervig et al., 2012) can easily be reached if similar to 10% of the MSP are released and that their charging probability is similar to 0.1.
|
|
| 9. |
- Hedin, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
-
The global mesospheric sodium layer observed by Odin/OSIRIS in 2004-2009
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1364-6826 .- 1879-1824. ; 73:14-15, s. 2221-2227
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The source of the mesospheric sodium layer is the daily ablation of 10-100 tons of meteoric material in Earth's atmosphere. Global studies of this layer yield important information about the chemistry and dynamics of Earth's mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT). For nine years the Optical Spectrograph and Infra-Red Imager System (OSIRIS) on-board the Odin satellite has observed Earth's middle atmosphere by limb measurements of scattered sunlight from the ultraviolet to the infrared. In its aeronomy mode, Odin performs limb scans during 15 near-polar sun-synchronous orbits each day. The current measurement programme provides scans up to 110 km on about 300 days per year. Above 70 km, Na D resonance scattering at 589 nm results in a strong limb signal. Retrievals from this dayglow feature have provided a global database of the mesospheric sodium layer. We present an updated sodium climatology from the Odin mission, including latitudinal and seasonal dependence, and interannual variability. We find a weak seasonal variation at low latitudes and an annual variation at mid- and high-latitudes with a clear summer minimum. An interesting feature is an interhemispheric asymmetry in the global dataset with larger sodium abundances during fall in the northern hemisphere and during spring in the southern hemisphere.
|
|
| 10. |
- Hedin, Jonas, et al.
(författare)
-
The MAGIC meteoric smoke particle sampler
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics. - : Elsevier BV. - 1364-6826 .- 1879-1824. ; 118, s. 127-144
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Between a few tons to several hundred tons of meteoric material enters the Earth's atmosphere each day, and most of this material is ablated and vaporized in the 70-120 km altitude region. The subsequent chemical conversion, re-condensation and coagulation of this evaporated material are thought to form nanometre sized meteoric smoke particles (MSPs). These smoke particles are then subject to further coagulation, sedimentation and global transport by the mesospheric circulation. MSPs have been proposed as a key player in the formation and evolution of ice particle layers around the mesopause region, i.e. noctilucent clouds (NLC) and polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE). MSPs have also been implicated in mesospheric heterogeneous chemistry to influence the mesospheric odd oxygen/odd hydrogen (O-x/HOx) chemistry, to play an important role in the mesospheric charge balance, and to be a significant component of stratospheric aerosol and enhance the depletion of O-3. Despite their apparent importance, little is known about the properties of MSPs and none of the hypotheses can be verified without direct evidence of the existence, altitude and size distribution, shape and elemental composition. The aim of the MAGIC project (Mesospheric Aerosol - Genesis, Interaction and Composition) was to develop an instrument and analysis techniques to sample for the first time MSPs in the mesosphere and return them to the ground for detailed analysis in the laboratory. MAGIC meteoric smoke particle samplers have been flown on several sounding rocket payloads between 2005 and 2011. Several of these flights concerned non-summer mesosphere conditions when pure MSP populations can be expected. Other flights concerned high latitude summer conditions when MSPs are expected to be contained in ice particles in the upper mesosphere. In this paper we present the MAGIC project and describe the MAGIC MSP sampler, the measurement procedure and laboratory analysis. We also present the attempts to retrieve MSPs from these flights, the challenges inherent to the sampling of nanometre sized particles and the subsequent analysis of the sampled material, and thoughts for the future. Despite substantial experimental efforts, the MAGIC project has so far failed to provide conclusive results. While particles with elemental composition similar to what is to be expected from MSPs have been found, the analysis has been compromised by challenges with different types of contamination and uncertainties in the sticking efficiency of the particles on the sampling surfaces.
|
|
