Structure and seasonal variability of the nighttime mesospheric Fe layer at midlatitudes

Timothy Joseph Kane, C. S. Gardner

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

67 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The Fe layer abundance and root-mean-square (RMS) width have strong annual variations, with minima in summer. The abundance varied from 3.5 × 109 to 25 × 109 cm-2 with a mean of 10.6 × 109 cm-2, and the RMS width varied from 2.3 to 5.2 km with a mean of 3.4 km. The centroid height of the Fe layer has a strong semiannual variation, with minima at the solstices. The centroid varies from 86.0 to 90.3 km and has a mean of 88.1 km. Sporadic Fe (Fes) layers were present about 27% of the total observation time. The Fe measurements are compared with the extensive Na layer observations obtained during the past decade at Urbana and with common volume observations made simultaneously on 24 nights with a Na temperature lidar. The mean Fe column abundance is approximately twice the mean Na column abundance. The Fe layer centroid height is also on average nearly 4 km lower and the RMS width is approximately 24% narrower than the corresponding Na layer parameters. -from Authors

Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalJournal of Geophysical Research
Volume98
Issue numberD9
StatePublished - Jan 1 1993

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temperate regions
Optical radar
seasonal variation
lidar
centroids
Temperature
summer
solstices
annual variation
temperature
annual variations
optical radar
night

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Geophysics
  • Oceanography
  • Forestry
  • Aquatic Science
  • Ecology
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Water Science and Technology
  • Soil Science
  • Geochemistry and Petrology
  • Earth-Surface Processes
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Atmospheric Science
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Space and Planetary Science
  • Materials Chemistry
  • Palaeontology

Cite this

Kane, Timothy Joseph ; Gardner, C. S. / Structure and seasonal variability of the nighttime mesospheric Fe layer at midlatitudes. In: Journal of Geophysical Research. 1993 ; Vol. 98, No. D9.
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Kane, TJ & Gardner, CS 1993, 'Structure and seasonal variability of the nighttime mesospheric Fe layer at midlatitudes', Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 98, no. D9.

Structure and seasonal variability of the nighttime mesospheric Fe layer at midlatitudes. / Kane, Timothy Joseph; Gardner, C. S.

In: Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 98, No. D9, 01.01.1993.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

TY - JOUR

T1 - Structure and seasonal variability of the nighttime mesospheric Fe layer at midlatitudes

AU - Kane, Timothy Joseph

AU - Gardner, C. S.

PY - 1993/1/1

Y1 - 1993/1/1

N2 - The Fe layer abundance and root-mean-square (RMS) width have strong annual variations, with minima in summer. The abundance varied from 3.5 × 109 to 25 × 109 cm-2 with a mean of 10.6 × 109 cm-2, and the RMS width varied from 2.3 to 5.2 km with a mean of 3.4 km. The centroid height of the Fe layer has a strong semiannual variation, with minima at the solstices. The centroid varies from 86.0 to 90.3 km and has a mean of 88.1 km. Sporadic Fe (Fes) layers were present about 27% of the total observation time. The Fe measurements are compared with the extensive Na layer observations obtained during the past decade at Urbana and with common volume observations made simultaneously on 24 nights with a Na temperature lidar. The mean Fe column abundance is approximately twice the mean Na column abundance. The Fe layer centroid height is also on average nearly 4 km lower and the RMS width is approximately 24% narrower than the corresponding Na layer parameters. -from Authors

AB - The Fe layer abundance and root-mean-square (RMS) width have strong annual variations, with minima in summer. The abundance varied from 3.5 × 109 to 25 × 109 cm-2 with a mean of 10.6 × 109 cm-2, and the RMS width varied from 2.3 to 5.2 km with a mean of 3.4 km. The centroid height of the Fe layer has a strong semiannual variation, with minima at the solstices. The centroid varies from 86.0 to 90.3 km and has a mean of 88.1 km. Sporadic Fe (Fes) layers were present about 27% of the total observation time. The Fe measurements are compared with the extensive Na layer observations obtained during the past decade at Urbana and with common volume observations made simultaneously on 24 nights with a Na temperature lidar. The mean Fe column abundance is approximately twice the mean Na column abundance. The Fe layer centroid height is also on average nearly 4 km lower and the RMS width is approximately 24% narrower than the corresponding Na layer parameters. -from Authors

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Kane TJ, Gardner CS. Structure and seasonal variability of the nighttime mesospheric Fe layer at midlatitudes. Journal of Geophysical Research. 1993 Jan 1;98(D9).

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