The behavior of Neutral Densities between 45 and 90 km Determined from Rayleigh Lidar Observations above Logan, Utah

POSTER

Abstract

A Rayleigh-scatter lidar operated at the Atmospheric Lidar Observatory (ALO; 41.7$^{\circ}$ N, 111.8$^{\circ}$ W), part of CASS on the campus of Utah State University (USU), and collected extensive data between 1993 and 2004. From the Rayleigh lidar photon-count returns relative densities throughout the mesosphere, from 45 to 90 km, were determined. Using these relative densities three density climatologies were derived, each using a different density normalization at 45 km. The first normalized the relative densities to a constant; the second normalized them to the NRL-MSISe00 empirical model, which has a strong semiannual component; and the third normalized them to the CPC analyses model, which has a strong annual component. In each case the density profile for every night of a composite year was found by averaging the nighttime density profiles in a 31-day by 11-year window centered on that day. Despite the different normalizations, many common features were found in the seasonal behavior of the densities. One is a large seasonal variation maximizing in June at $\sim$70 km. Another, above 80 km was a large shift in the maximum to earlier in the year. While these relative densities provide much useful information about mesospheric behavior, the current lidar upgrade will add an absolute.

Authors

  • David Barton

    Physics and CASS, Utah State University

  • Benjamin Bloom

    Department of Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Langmuir Laboratory, New Mexico Tech, The University of Arizona, Brigham Young University, Department of Physics Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, University of Colorado Boulder, Principal Investigator, Graduate Student, Colorado State University, SSRL, SLAC, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, Colorado State Univ, JILA, University of Colorado at Boulder, NIST, JILA, University of Colorado at Boulder, Heinrich-Heine-Universitat, Department of Physics, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80217, Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, The University Centre in Svalbard, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, New Mexico State University, The George Washington University Nuclear Physics Research Group, Institute for Nuclear Physics at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, None, Colorado State Engineering Research Center, St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University in Saint Petersburg, Russia, University of California San Diego, Argonne National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Imperial College London, Space Dynamics Lab, Utah State University, Physics and CASS, Utah State University, Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, Department of Physics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, Dept. of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Denver, CU Boulder, RASEI, NREL, University of Colorado, Rutgers, UTK, Joint Institute for Heavy Ion Research \& ORNL, University of Guelph, Insitituto de Estructura de la Materia, University of Toronto, INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, University of York, University of Surrey, TRIUMF, Simon Frasier University, Universdad de Sevilla, Simon Fraser University, Univ of Utah, Univ of Wyoming, New Mexico Tech, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IBM Systems and Technology Group, IBM Research Division, Irvine Valley College, University of Colorado - Boulder, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, Department of Physics, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Flint, MI, High Altitude Observatory, JILA, University of Colorado

  • Benjamin Bloom

    Department of Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Langmuir Laboratory, New Mexico Tech, The University of Arizona, Brigham Young University, Department of Physics Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, University of Colorado Boulder, Principal Investigator, Graduate Student, Colorado State University, SSRL, SLAC, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, Colorado State Univ, JILA, University of Colorado at Boulder, NIST, JILA, University of Colorado at Boulder, Heinrich-Heine-Universitat, Department of Physics, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80217, Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, The University Centre in Svalbard, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, New Mexico State University, The George Washington University Nuclear Physics Research Group, Institute for Nuclear Physics at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, None, Colorado State Engineering Research Center, St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University in Saint Petersburg, Russia, University of California San Diego, Argonne National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Imperial College London, Space Dynamics Lab, Utah State University, Physics and CASS, Utah State University, Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, Department of Physics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, Dept. of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Denver, CU Boulder, RASEI, NREL, University of Colorado, Rutgers, UTK, Joint Institute for Heavy Ion Research \& ORNL, University of Guelph, Insitituto de Estructura de la Materia, University of Toronto, INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, University of York, University of Surrey, TRIUMF, Simon Frasier University, Universdad de Sevilla, Simon Fraser University, Univ of Utah, Univ of Wyoming, New Mexico Tech, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IBM Systems and Technology Group, IBM Research Division, Irvine Valley College, University of Colorado - Boulder, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, Department of Physics, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Flint, MI, High Altitude Observatory, JILA, University of Colorado

  • Benjamin Bloom

    Department of Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba, Japan, The University of Electro-Communications, Tokyo, Langmuir Laboratory, New Mexico Tech, The University of Arizona, Brigham Young University, Department of Physics Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, University of Colorado Boulder, Principal Investigator, Graduate Student, Colorado State University, SSRL, SLAC, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Brigham Young University, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan, Colorado State Univ, JILA, University of Colorado at Boulder, NIST, JILA, University of Colorado at Boulder, Heinrich-Heine-Universitat, Department of Physics, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO 80217, Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, The University Centre in Svalbard, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, New Mexico State University, The George Washington University Nuclear Physics Research Group, Institute for Nuclear Physics at the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, None, Colorado State Engineering Research Center, St. Petersburg Electrotechnical University in Saint Petersburg, Russia, University of California San Diego, Argonne National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Imperial College London, Space Dynamics Lab, Utah State University, Physics and CASS, Utah State University, Department of Chemistry, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, Department of Physics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, Dept. of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Denver, CU Boulder, RASEI, NREL, University of Colorado, Rutgers, UTK, Joint Institute for Heavy Ion Research \& ORNL, University of Guelph, Insitituto de Estructura de la Materia, University of Toronto, INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, University of York, University of Surrey, TRIUMF, Simon Frasier University, Universdad de Sevilla, Simon Fraser University, Univ of Utah, Univ of Wyoming, New Mexico Tech, GLOBALFOUNDRIES, IBM Systems and Technology Group, IBM Research Division, Irvine Valley College, University of Colorado - Boulder, Department of Physics, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, Department of Physics, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Flint, MI, High Altitude Observatory, JILA, University of Colorado