Wednesday, 14 January 2004
A Sequential Estimator for Assimilation of Ground- and Space-Based Mesospheric and Lower Thermospheric Winds
Hall AB
The mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) are regions that
absorb and modify atmospheric phenomena originating in
the troposphere and stratosphere. However, these are also
source regions for dynamical, chemical and radiative
processes that act to redistribute energy and constituents
throughout the upper atmosphere. The MLT is monitored by
the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) and the
Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere Dynamics and Energetics
(TIMED) spacecraft, as well as ground-based networks of
lidars, optical sensors, and medium frequency (MF) and meteor
wind (MW) radars. In support of the TIMED mission science goals,
and their application to the Space Weather Program, we have
developed a sequential estimator for the assimilation of
ground- and satellite-based MLT wind measurements. Preliminary
experiments have focused on the retrieval of monochromatic waves
sampled by the TIMED satellite and MF observing network.
Ground-based measurements are found to be a critical
compliment to the satellite database for defining
the variability of tides. The sequential estimator
is currently being tested on output from the NCAR Whole
Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM).
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