Evidence of Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes Observed by SuperDARN SANAE HF Radar in Antarctica

• Main Authors: Olakunle Ogunjobi, Venkataraman Sivakumar, Judy Ann Elizabeth Stephenson, and William Tafon Sivla
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer 2015
• Subjects: geophysics; geology; atmospheric science; space science; oceanic science; hydrology; QE1-996.5; Geophysics. Cosmic physics; QC801-809; Antarctic; SANAE; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/94db5ad7b03a47039db12dc78da2d78c

We report on the polar mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE) occurrence probability over SANAE (South African National Antarctic Expedition) IV, for the first time. A matching coincidence method is described and implemented for PMSE extraction from SuperDARN (Super Dual Auroral Radar Network) HF radar. Several SuperDARN-PMSE characteristics are studied during the summer period from years 2005 - 2007. The seasonal and interannual SuperDARN-PMSE variations in relation to the mesospheric neutral winds are studied and presented in this paper. The occurrence probability of SuperDARN-PMSE on the day-to-day scale show, predominantly, diurnal variation, with a broader peak between 12 - 14 LT and distinct minimum of 22 LT. The SuperDARN-PMSE occurrence probability rate is high in the summer solstice. Seasonal variations show a connection between the SuperDARN-PMSE occurrence probability rate and mesospheric temperature from SABER (Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry). The seasonal trend for both meridional and zonal winds is very stable year-to-year. Analysis of the neutral wind variations indicates the importance of pole-to-pole circulations in SuperDARN-PMSE generation.