Wintertime Mesospheric Gravity Waves Observed Over Antarctica

Since 2012, Utah State University has operated Infrared all-sky imagers at various stations in Antarctica as a part of the international Antarctic Gravity Wave Instrument Network (ANGWIN). These imagers measure the hydroxyl (OH) emission (airglow) in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere (~87 km) to observe the propagation of gravity waves at those altitudes. In this study, we have processed data collected over a period of eleven years (2012-2022) from two stations, Davis (Australia) and McMurdo (US). Machine learning techniques have allowed us to quickly identify windows of clear sky and visible airglow. Images from these windows were then processed and prepared for 3D spectral analysis to calculate the phase velocity and power of the waves. The results from this analysis were then used to create power spectrums averaging the wave activity for each window and month. These power spectrums will provide insight into the patterns and behavior of Antarctic mesospheric gravity waves from 2012 to 2022.