| Volumes and Issues Contents of Issue 8 |
www.ann-geophys.net/15/1037/1997/
doi:10.1007/s00585-997-1037-7
© European Geosciences Union 1997
The small-scale structure of VHF mesospheric summer echo layers observed at mid-latitudes
Department of Physics, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, SY23 3Bz, UK
Abstract. The VHF radar system at Aberystwyth (52.4° N, 4.1°E) has been used to make high-time-resolution, multi-beam observations of mesospheric summer echo layers. These show that the altitude and the sense of vertical movement of the layers can vary over time-scales of minutes and horizontal scales of kilometres. In general, the altitude profiles of signal-to-noise ratio provide evidence of a bifurcated structure with sharp changes in the horizontal wind vector and vertical velocity, and enhanced spectral width occurring at the bifurcation level. The implications of the small-scale structure for studies of the aspect sensitivity of radar returns are discussed, and the changes in wind-field at the bifurcation level are compared with 'wind corners' observed in rocket studies of the mesosphere at polar latitudes.
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Citation: Hooper, D. A. and Thomas, L.: The small-scale structure of VHF mesospheric summer echo layers observed at mid-latitudes, Ann. Geophys., 15, 1037-1047, doi:10.1007/s00585-997-1037-7, 1997. Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager XML
