Initial Measurements of Mesospheric Gravity Waves over McMurdo, Antarctica

• Main Authors: Pugmire, Jonathan, Taylor, Michael J., Zhao, Yucheng, Pautet, P.Dominique
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: Hosted by Utah State University Libraries 2014
• Subjects: Atmospheric Sciences; Physics; Antarctic; McMurdo Station; Ross Island; Rothera; South Pole; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica; South pole
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/graduate_posters/25; https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1024&context=graduate_posters

The ANtarctic Gravity Wave Instrument Network (ANGWIN) is an NSF sponsored international program designed to develop and utilize a network of gravity wave observatories using existing and new instrumentation operated at several established research stations around the continent. The primary goal is to better understand and quantify large-scale gravity wave climatology and their effects on the upper atmosphere over Antarctica. ANGWIN currently comprises research measurements from five nations (U.S., U.K., Australia, Japan, and Brazil) at seven international stations. Utah State University’s Atmospheric Imaging Lab operates all-sky infrared and CCD imagers and an Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper (AMTM) imager at several research stations (Davis, Halley, Rothera, McMurdo, and South Pole). In this poster we present new measurements of short-period mesospheric gravity waves imaged from McMurdo Station (77°S, 166°E) on Ross Island. This camera has operated alongside the University of Colorado Fe Lidar during the past two winter seasons (March-September 2012, 2013). Image data were recorded every ~10 seconds enabling detailed measurements of individual gravity wave events in the infrared OH emission layer (~87 km). Here we present example wave data and novel measurements of the wave characteristics observed during these two winter seasons. The results are contrasted with other published and new ANGWIN wave measurements from around the continent.