Advanced mesospheric temperature mapper for high-latitude airglow studies

Area of Science:

• Atmospheric Science
• Geophysics
• Remote Sensing

Background:

• Ground-based remote sensing of mesospheric temperature (∼87 km) has relied on hydroxyl (OH) emissions for 60 years.
• Previous instruments (spectrometers, interferometers, radiometers) offered limited spatial/temporal resolution, restricting studies to large-scale atmospheric phenomena.
• Existing methods struggle with interference from aurora or moonlight.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce the Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper (AMTM), a novel infrared digital imaging system.
• Detail the AMTM's capability to map mesospheric temperature and intensity with unprecedented resolution.
• Demonstrate the AMTM's effectiveness in studying wave dynamics under challenging conditions.

Main Methods:

• Utilizes nighttime hydroxyl (OH) emission lines (∼1.5 μm) from the mesosphere (∼87 km).
• Employs a digital imaging system to create intensity and temperature maps over a 120° field of view.
• Achieves high spatial (∼0.5 km) and temporal (∼30″) resolution.

Main Results:

• The AMTM provides detailed mesospheric temperature maps at ∼87 km with high spatial and temporal resolution.
• Measurements are validated against a collocated sodium (Na) lidar instrument.
• The instrument effectively captures wave propagation and dissipation, even during aurora or full moon.

Conclusions:

• The AMTM offers a significant advancement in mesospheric temperature monitoring.
• Its high-resolution mapping capabilities enable detailed investigation of atmospheric dynamics.
• The instrument is robust and effective under various environmental conditions.