Terrestrial Weather and Mountain Wave Influences on the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere Near-Earth Space Environment

Terrestrial weather is one aspect that can influence the near-space environment. One event with the potential to impact this region are mountain waves (MWs). Mountain waves (MWs) have the ability to propagate to high regions within the atmosphere depending on the season. We present results from the Deep Propagating Gravity Wave Experiment (DEEPWAVE), a campaign that took place out of Christchurch, NZ in the 2014 wintertime hemisphere, demonstrating cases of MWs which were able to propagate into the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere (MLT). These MWs influence the MLT through their amplitudes, dissipation and momentum deposition, and resulting secondary gravity wave (SGW) generation, the latter of which has the potential to influence even higher regions above the MLT. We discuss these MW observations, and associated spectral momentum flux and SGW generation observed with Rayleigh Lidar, Sodium Lidar, and the Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper. Understanding these high altitude MWs and adequately predicting their generation and effects is of importance to predicting both localized influences on space weather in the near-space environment as well as understanding whole atmosphere coupling between the near-space region and lower atmospheric regions.