Articles | Volume 11, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-3161-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-11-3161-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Three-dimensional tomographic reconstruction of atmospheric gravity waves in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT)
Rui Song
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Energy and Climate
Research, Stratosphere (IEK-7), Research Centre Jülich,
52425 Jülich, Germany
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Research,
University of Wuppertal, 42119 Wuppertal, Germany
Martin Kaufmann
Institute of Energy and Climate
Research, Stratosphere (IEK-7), Research Centre Jülich,
52425 Jülich, Germany
Manfred Ern
Institute of Energy and Climate
Research, Stratosphere (IEK-7), Research Centre Jülich,
52425 Jülich, Germany
Jörn Ungermann
Institute of Energy and Climate
Research, Stratosphere (IEK-7), Research Centre Jülich,
52425 Jülich, Germany
Guang Liu
Key Laboratory of Digital Earth Sciences,
Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth,
Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Martin Riese
Institute of Energy and Climate
Research, Stratosphere (IEK-7), Research Centre Jülich,
52425 Jülich, Germany
Institute for Atmospheric and Environmental Research,
University of Wuppertal, 42119 Wuppertal, Germany
Related authors
No articles found.
Ales Kuchar, Gunter Stober, Dimitry Pokhotelov, Huixin Liu, Han-Li Liu, Manfred Ern, Damian Murphy, Diego Janches, Tracy Moffat-Griffin, Nicholas Mitchell, and Christoph Jacobi
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2827, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2827, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Annales Geophysicae (ANGEO).
Short summary
Short summary
We studied how the healing of the Antarctic ozone layer is affecting winds high above the South Pole. Using ground-based radar, satellite data, and computer models, we found that winds in the upper atmosphere have become stronger over the past two decades. These changes appear to be linked to shifts in the lower atmosphere caused by ozone recovery. Our results show that human efforts to repair the ozone layer are also influencing climate patterns far above Earth’s surface.
Guangyi Zhu, Yajun Zhu, Martin Kaufmann, Tiancai Wang, Weijun Liu, Wei Yuan, Siyin Liu, Guotao Yang, and Jiyao Xu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2486, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-2486, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Winds in the mesopause region (85–100 km altitude) drive upper-atmospheric dynamics and energy transfer. We present the Asymmetric Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer, a ground-based instrument, to measure winds by observing the green airglow of atomic oxygen. Lab tests demonstrated the instrument achieves <2 m/s accuracy. Field measurements at a high-latitude site in China showed strong agreement with independent LiDAR data, confirming that the system delivers reliable wind retrievals.
Christoph Jacobi, Khalil Karami, Ales Kuchar, Manfred Ern, Toralf Renkwitz, Ralph Latteck, and Jorge L. Chau
Adv. Radio Sci., 23, 21–31, https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-23-21-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/ars-23-21-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Half-hourly mean winds have been obtained using ground-based low-frequency and very high frequency radio observations of the mesopause region at Collm, Germany, since 1984. Long-term changes of wind variances, which are proxies for short-period atmospheric gravity waves, have been analysed. Gravity wave amplitudes increase with time in winter, but mainly decrease in summer. The trends are consistent with mean wind changes according to wave theory.
Gerald Wetzel, Anne Kleinert, Sören Johansson, Felix Friedl-Vallon, Michael Höpfner, Jörn Ungermann, Tom Neubert, Valéry Catoire, Cyril Crevoisier, Andreas Engel, Thomas Gulde, Patrick Jacquet, Oliver Kirner, Erik Kretschmer, Thomas Kulessa, Johannes C. Laube, Guido Maucher, Hans Nordmeyer, Christof Piesch, Peter Preusse, Markus Retzlaff, Georg Schardt, Johan Schillings, Herbert Schneider, Axel Schönfeld, Tanja Schuck, Wolfgang Woiwode, Martin Riese, and Peter Braesicke
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1838, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1838, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We present vertical trace gas profiles from the first balloon flight of the newly developed GLORIA-B limb-imaging Fourier-Transform spectrometer. Longer-lived gases are compared to external measurements to assess the quality of the GLORIA-B observations. Diurnal changes of photochemically active species are compared to model simulations. GLORIA-B demonstrates the capability of balloon-borne limb imaging to provide high-resolution vertical profiles of trace gases up to the middle stratosphere.
Florian Voet, Felix Ploeger, Johannes Laube, Peter Preusse, Paul Konopka, Jens-Uwe Grooß, Jörn Ungermann, Björn-Martin Sinnhuber, Michael Höpfner, Bernd Funke, Gerald Wetzel, Sören Johansson, Gabriele Stiller, Eric Ray, and Michaela I. Hegglin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 25, 3541–3565, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3541-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-3541-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study refines estimates of the stratospheric “age of air”, a measure of how long air circulates in the stratosphere. By analyzing correlations between trace gases measurable by satellites, the research introduces a method that reduces uncertainties and detects small-scale atmospheric features. This improved understanding of stratospheric circulation is crucial for better climate models and predictions, enhancing our ability to assess the impacts of climate change on the atmosphere.
Rasul Baikhadzhaev, Felix Ploeger, Peter Preusse, Manfred Ern, and Thomas Birner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4088, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4088, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Across four reanalyses, shallow branch of the stratospheric overturning circulation was found to be driven by the largest waves with wavenumbers 1 to 3, and deep branch of the circulation was found to be driven by smaller-scale waves. Yet, the height of the level separating the branches is depended on the reanalysis considered. Thus using the appropriate separation levels in model inter-comparisons could reduce the spread between models regarding climatology and trends in the circulation.
Jörn Ungermann and Robert Reichert
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2024-207, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2024-207, 2025
Revised manuscript accepted for GMD
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes the software package JuWavelet, which implements the continuous wavelet transform, which is a popular tool in the Geosciences to analyse wave-like phenomena. The code implements the transform in 1-D, 2-D, and 3-D for both analysis and synthesis, which closes a gap in available open-source software. The mathematics behind the transformation are given and several examples showcase the capabilities of the software.
Sebastian Rhode, Peter Preusse, Jörn Ungermann, Inna Polichtchouk, Kaoru Sato, Shingo Watanabe, Manfred Ern, Karlheinz Nogai, Björn-Martin Sinnhuber, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 5785–5819, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5785-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-5785-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the capabilities of a proposed satellite mission, CAIRT, for observing gravity waves throughout the middle atmosphere and present the necessary methodology for in-depth wave analysis. Our findings suggest that such a satellite mission is highly capable of resolving individual wave parameters and could give new insights into the role of gravity waves in general atmospheric circulation and atmospheric processes.
Karolin Voss, Philip Holzbeck, Klaus Pfeilsticker, Ralph Kleinschek, Gerald Wetzel, Blanca Fuentes Andrade, Michael Höpfner, Jörn Ungermann, Björn-Martin Sinnhuber, and André Butz
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 4507–4528, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4507-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-4507-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A novel balloon-borne instrument for direct sun and solar occultation measurements of several UV–Vis absorbing gases (e.g. O3, NO2, BrO, IO, and HONO) is described. Its major design features and performance during two stratospheric deployments are discussed. From the measured overhead BrO concentration and a suitable photochemical correction, total stratospheric bromine is inferred to (17.5 ± 2.2) ppt in air masses which entered the stratosphere around early 2017 ± 1 year.
Sören Johansson, Michael Höpfner, Felix Friedl-Vallon, Norbert Glatthor, Thomas Gulde, Vincent Huijnen, Anne Kleinert, Erik Kretschmer, Guido Maucher, Tom Neubert, Hans Nordmeyer, Christof Piesch, Peter Preusse, Martin Riese, Björn-Martin Sinnhuber, Jörn Ungermann, Gerald Wetzel, and Wolfgang Woiwode
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 8125–8138, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8125-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-8125-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present airborne infrared limb sounding GLORIA measurements of ammonia (NH3) in the upper troposphere of air masses within the Asian monsoon and of those connected with biomass burning. Comparing CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) model data, we find that the model reproduces the measured enhanced NH3 within the Asian monsoon well but not that within biomass burning plumes, where no enhanced NH3 is measured in the upper troposphere but considerable amounts are simulated by CAMS.
Björn Linder, Peter Preusse, Qiuyu Chen, Ole Martin Christensen, Lukas Krasauskas, Linda Megner, Manfred Ern, and Jörg Gumbel
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3829–3841, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3829-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3829-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Swedish research satellite MATS (Mesospheric Airglow/Aerosol Tomography and Spectroscopy) is designed to study atmospheric waves in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. These waves perturb the temperature field, and thus, by observing three-dimensional temperature fluctuations, their properties can be quantified. This pre-study uses synthetic MATS data generated from a general circulation model to investigate how well wave properties can be retrieved.
Konstantin Ntokas, Jörn Ungermann, Martin Kaufmann, Tom Neubert, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 16, 5681–5696, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5681-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-16-5681-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
A nanosatellite was developed to obtain 1-D vertical temperature profiles in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere, which can be used to derive wave parameters needed for atmospheric models. A new processing method is shown, which allows one to extract two 1-D temperature profiles. The location of the two profiles is analyzed, as it is needed for deriving wave parameters. We show that this method is feasible, which however will increase the requirements of an accurate calibration and processing.
Manfred Ern, Mohamadou A. Diallo, Dina Khordakova, Isabell Krisch, Peter Preusse, Oliver Reitebuch, Jörn Ungermann, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 9549–9583, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9549-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-9549-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) of the stratospheric tropical winds is an important mode of climate variability but is not well reproduced in free-running climate models. We use the novel global wind observations by the Aeolus satellite and radiosondes to show that the QBO is captured well in three modern reanalyses (ERA-5, JRA-55, and MERRA-2). Good agreement is also found also between Aeolus and reanalyses for large-scale tropical wave modes in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere.
Sebastian Rhode, Peter Preusse, Manfred Ern, Jörn Ungermann, Lukas Krasauskas, Julio Bacmeister, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 7901–7934, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7901-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-7901-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Gravity waves (GWs) transport energy vertically and horizontally within the atmosphere and thereby affect wind speeds far from their sources. Here, we present a model that identifies orographic GW sources and predicts the pathways of the excited GWs through the atmosphere for a better understanding of horizontal GW propagation. We use this model to explain physical patterns in satellite observations (e.g., low GW activity above the Himalaya) and predict seasonal patterns of GW propagation.
Reimar Bauer, Jens-Uwe Grooß, Jörn Ungermann, May Bär, Markus Geldenhuys, and Lars Hoffmann
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 8983–8997, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-8983-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-8983-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The Mission Support System (MSS) is an open source software package that has been used for planning flight tracks of scientific aircraft in multiple measurement campaigns during the last decade. Here, we describe the MSS software and its use during the SouthTRAC measurement campaign in 2019. As an example for how the MSS software is used in conjunction with many datasets, we describe the planning of a single flight probing orographic gravity waves propagating up into the lower mesosphere.
Qiuyu Chen, Konstantin Ntokas, Björn Linder, Lukas Krasauskas, Manfred Ern, Peter Preusse, Jörn Ungermann, Erich Becker, Martin Kaufmann, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 7071–7103, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-7071-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-7071-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Observations of phase speed and direction spectra as well as zonal mean net gravity wave momentum flux are required to understand how gravity waves reach the mesosphere–lower thermosphere and how they there interact with background flow. To this end we propose flying two CubeSats, each deploying a spatial heterodyne spectrometer for limb observation of the airglow. End-to-end simulations demonstrate that individual gravity waves are retrieved faithfully for the expected instrument performance.
Manfred Ern, Peter Preusse, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 15093–15133, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-15093-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-15093-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Based on data from the HIRDLS and SABER infrared limb sounding satellite instruments, we investigate the intermittency of global distributions of gravity wave (GW) potential energies and GW momentum fluxes in the stratosphere and mesosphere using probability distribution functions (PDFs) and Gini coefficients. We compare GW intermittency in different regions, seasons, and altitudes. These results can help to improve GW parameterizations and the distributions of GWs resolved in models.
Mohamadou A. Diallo, Felix Ploeger, Michaela I. Hegglin, Manfred Ern, Jens-Uwe Grooß, Sergey Khaykin, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 14303–14321, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-14303-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-14303-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The quasi-biennial oacillation disruption events in both 2016 and 2020 decreased lower-stratospheric water vapour and ozone. Differences in the strength and depth of the anomalous lower-stratospheric circulation and ozone are due to differences in tropical upwelling and cold-point temperature induced by lower-stratospheric planetary and gravity wave breaking. The differences in water vapour are due to higher cold-point temperature in 2020 induced by Australian wildfire.
Jörn Ungermann, Anne Kleinert, Guido Maucher, Irene Bartolomé, Felix Friedl-Vallon, Sören Johansson, Lukas Krasauskas, and Tom Neubert
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2503–2530, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2503-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2503-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
GLORIA is a 2-D infrared imaging spectrometer operated on two high-flying research aircraft. This paper details our instrument calibration and characterization efforts, which in particular leverage in-flight data almost exclusively and often exploit the novel 2-D nature of the measurements. We show that the instrument surpasses the original instrument specifications and conclude by analyzing how the derived errors affect temperature and ozone retrievals, two of our main derived quantities.
Helmut Ziereis, Peter Hoor, Jens-Uwe Grooß, Andreas Zahn, Greta Stratmann, Paul Stock, Michael Lichtenstern, Jens Krause, Vera Bense, Armin Afchine, Christian Rolf, Wolfgang Woiwode, Marleen Braun, Jörn Ungermann, Andreas Marsing, Christiane Voigt, Andreas Engel, Björn-Martin Sinnhuber, and Hermann Oelhaf
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 3631–3654, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3631-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3631-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Airborne observations were conducted in the lowermost Arctic stratosphere during the winter of 2015/2016. The observed distribution of reactive nitrogen shows clear indications of nitrification in mid-winter and denitrification in late winter. This was caused by the formation of polar stratospheric cloud particles, which were observed during several flights. The sedimentation and evaporation of these particles and the descent of air masses cause a redistribution of reactive nitrogen.
Sören Johansson, Gerald Wetzel, Felix Friedl-Vallon, Norbert Glatthor, Michael Höpfner, Anne Kleinert, Tom Neubert, Björn-Martin Sinnhuber, and Jörn Ungermann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 3675–3691, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3675-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-3675-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We present GLORIA airborne cross sections of PAN, C2H6, HCOOH, CH3OH, and C2H4 in the South Atlantic UTLS in September/October 2019. Filamentary structures and a large plume were observed. Backward trajectories indicate that measured pollutants come from South America and central Africa. Comparisons to CAMS show structural agreement of the measured distributions. PAN absolute VMRs agree with the GLORIA measurements, C2H6 and HCOOH are simulated too low, and CH3OH and C2H4 are too high.
Florian Haenel, Wolfgang Woiwode, Jennifer Buchmüller, Felix Friedl-Vallon, Michael Höpfner, Sören Johansson, Farahnaz Khosrawi, Oliver Kirner, Anne Kleinert, Hermann Oelhaf, Johannes Orphal, Roland Ruhnke, Björn-Martin Sinnhuber, Jörn Ungermann, Michael Weimer, and Peter Braesicke
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 2843–2870, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2843-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-2843-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We compare remote sensing observations of H2O, O3, HNO3 and clouds in the upper troposphere–lowermost stratosphere during an Arctic winter long-range research flight with simulations by two different state-of-the-art model systems. We find good agreement for dynamical structures, trace gas distributions and clouds. We investigate model biases and sensitivities, with the goal of aiding model development and improving our understanding of processes in the upper troposphere–lowermost stratosphere.
Dina Khordakova, Christian Rolf, Jens-Uwe Grooß, Rolf Müller, Paul Konopka, Andreas Wieser, Martina Krämer, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 1059–1079, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-1059-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-1059-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Extreme storms transport humidity from the troposphere to the stratosphere. Here it has a strong impact on the climate. With ongoing global warming, we expect more storms and, hence, an enhancement of this effect. A case study was performed in order to measure the impact of the direct injection of water vapor into the lower stratosphere. The measurements displayed a significant transport of water vapor into the lower stratosphere, and this was supported by satellite and reanalysis data.
Cornelia Strube, Peter Preusse, Manfred Ern, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 18641–18668, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-18641-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-18641-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
High gravity wave (GW) momentum fluxes in the lower stratospheric southern polar vortex around 60° S are still poorly understood. Few GW sources are found at these latitudes. We present a ray tracing case study on waves resolved in high-resolution global model temperatures southeast of New Zealand. We show that lateral propagation of more than 1000 km takes place below 20 km altitude, and a variety of orographic and non-orographic sources located north of 50° S generate the wave field.
Manfred Ern, Mohamadou Diallo, Peter Preusse, Martin G. Mlynczak, Michael J. Schwartz, Qian Wu, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 13763–13795, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13763-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-13763-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Details of the driving of the semiannual oscillation (SAO) of the tropical winds in the middle atmosphere are still not known. We investigate the SAO and its driving by small-scale gravity waves (GWs) using satellite data and different reanalyses. In a large altitude range, GWs mainly drive the SAO westerlies, but in the upper mesosphere GWs seem to drive both SAO easterlies and westerlies. Reanalyses reproduce some features of the SAO but are limited by model-inherent damping at upper levels.
Markus Geldenhuys, Peter Preusse, Isabell Krisch, Christoph Zülicke, Jörn Ungermann, Manfred Ern, Felix Friedl-Vallon, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 10393–10412, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10393-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10393-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A large-scale gravity wave (GW) was observed spanning the whole of Greenland. The GWs proposed in this paper come from a new jet–topography mechanism. The topography compresses the flow and triggers a change in u- and
v-wind components. The jet becomes out of geostrophic balance and sheds energy in the form of GWs to restore the balance. This topography–jet interaction was not previously considered by the community, rendering the impact of the gravity waves largely unaccounted for.
Lukas Krasauskas, Jörn Ungermann, Peter Preusse, Felix Friedl-Vallon, Andreas Zahn, Helmut Ziereis, Christian Rolf, Felix Plöger, Paul Konopka, Bärbel Vogel, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 10249–10272, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10249-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-10249-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A Rossby wave (RW) breaking event was observed over the North Atlantic during the WISE measurement campaign in October 2017. Infrared limb sounding measurements of trace gases in the lower stratosphere, including high-resolution 3-D tomographic reconstruction, revealed complex spatial structures in stratospheric tracers near the polar jet related to previous RW breaking events. Backward-trajectory analysis and tracer correlations were used to study mixing and stratosphere–troposphere exchange.
Felix Ploeger, Mohamadou Diallo, Edward Charlesworth, Paul Konopka, Bernard Legras, Johannes C. Laube, Jens-Uwe Grooß, Gebhard Günther, Andreas Engel, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 8393–8412, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8393-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8393-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the global stratospheric circulation (Brewer–Dobson circulation) in the new ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis based on age of air simulations, and we compare it to results from the preceding ERA-Interim reanalysis. Our results show a slower stratospheric circulation and higher age for ERA5. The age of air trend in ERA5 over the 1989–2018 period is negative throughout the stratosphere, related to multi-annual variability and a potential contribution from changes in the reanalysis system.
Gerald Wetzel, Felix Friedl-Vallon, Norbert Glatthor, Jens-Uwe Grooß, Thomas Gulde, Michael Höpfner, Sören Johansson, Farahnaz Khosrawi, Oliver Kirner, Anne Kleinert, Erik Kretschmer, Guido Maucher, Hans Nordmeyer, Hermann Oelhaf, Johannes Orphal, Christof Piesch, Björn-Martin Sinnhuber, Jörn Ungermann, and Bärbel Vogel
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 8213–8232, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8213-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-8213-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Measurements of the pollutants C2H6, C2H2, HCOOH, and PAN were performed in the North Atlantic UTLS region with the airborne limb imager GLORIA in 2017. Enhanced amounts of these species were detected in the upper troposphere and even in the lowermost stratosphere (PAN). Main sources of these gases are forest fires in North America and anthropogenic pollution in South Asia. Simulations of EMAC and CAMS are qualitatively able to reproduce the measured data but underestimate the absolute amounts.
Mohamadou Diallo, Manfred Ern, and Felix Ploeger
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 7515–7544, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7515-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-7515-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Despite good agreement in the spatial structure, there are substantial differences in the strength of the Brewer–Dobson circulation (BDC) and its modulations in the UTLS and upper stratosphere. The tropical upwelling is generally weaker in ERA5 than in ERAI due to weaker planetary and gravity wave breaking in the UTLS. Analysis of the BDC trend shows an acceleration of the BDC of about 1.5 % decade-1 due to the long-term intensification in wave breaking, consistent with climate predictions.
Irene Bartolome Garcia, Reinhold Spang, Jörn Ungermann, Sabine Griessbach, Martina Krämer, Michael Höpfner, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 3153–3168, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-3153-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-3153-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Cirrus clouds contribute to the general radiation budget of the Earth. Measuring optically thin clouds is challenging but the IR limb sounder GLORIA possesses the necessary technical characteristics to make it possible. This study analyses data from the WISE campaign obtained with GLORIA. We developed a cloud detection method and derived characteristics of the observed cirrus-like cloud top, cloud bottom or position with respect to the tropopause.
Robert Wagner, Baptiste Testa, Michael Höpfner, Alexei Kiselev, Ottmar Möhler, Harald Saathoff, Jörn Ungermann, and Thomas Leisner
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 1977–1991, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-1977-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-1977-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
During the Asian summer monsoon period, air pollutants are transported from layers near the ground to high altitudes of 13 to 18 km in the atmosphere. Infrared measurements have shown that particles composed of solid ammonium nitrate are a major part of these pollutants. To enable the quantitative analysis of the infrared spectra, we have determined for the first time accurate optical constants of ammonium nitrate for the low-temperature conditions of the upper atmosphere.
Jörn Ungermann, Irene Bartolome, Sabine Griessbach, Reinhold Spang, Christian Rolf, Martina Krämer, Michael Höpfner, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 7025–7045, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-7025-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-7025-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This study examines the potential of new IR limb imager instruments and tomographic methods for cloud detection purposes. Simple color-ratio-based methods are examined and compared against more involved nonlinear convex optimization. In a second part, 3-D measurements of the airborne limb sounder GLORIA taken during the Wave-driven ISentropic Exchange campaign are used to exemplarily derive the location and extent of small-scale cirrus clouds with high spatial accuracy.
Wolfgang Woiwode, Andreas Dörnbrack, Inna Polichtchouk, Sören Johansson, Ben Harvey, Michael Höpfner, Jörn Ungermann, and Felix Friedl-Vallon
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 15379–15387, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15379-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-15379-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The lowermost-stratosphere moist bias in ECMWF analyses and 12 h forecasts is diagnosed for the Arctic winter-spring 2016 period by using two-dimensional GLORIA water vapor observations. The bias is already present in the initial conditions (i.e., the analyses), and sensitivity forecasts on time scales of < 12 h show hardly any sensitivity to modified spatial resolution and output frequency.
Sören Johansson, Michael Höpfner, Oliver Kirner, Ingo Wohltmann, Silvia Bucci, Bernard Legras, Felix Friedl-Vallon, Norbert Glatthor, Erik Kretschmer, Jörn Ungermann, and Gerald Wetzel
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 14695–14715, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-14695-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-14695-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We present high-resolution measurements of pollutant trace gases (PAN, C2H2, and HCOOH) in the Asian monsoon UTLS from the airborne limb imager GLORIA during StratoClim 2017. Enhancements are observed up to 16 km altitude, and PAN and C2H2 even up to 18 km. Two atmospheric models, CAMS and EMAC, reproduce the pollutant's large-scale structures but not finer structures. Convection is investigated using backward trajectories of the models ATLAS and TRACZILLA with advanced detection of convection.
Martina Krämer, Christian Rolf, Nicole Spelten, Armin Afchine, David Fahey, Eric Jensen, Sergey Khaykin, Thomas Kuhn, Paul Lawson, Alexey Lykov, Laura L. Pan, Martin Riese, Andrew Rollins, Fred Stroh, Troy Thornberry, Veronika Wolf, Sarah Woods, Peter Spichtinger, Johannes Quaas, and Odran Sourdeval
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 12569–12608, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-12569-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-12569-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
To improve the representations of cirrus clouds in climate predictions, extended knowledge of their properties and geographical distribution is required. This study presents extensive airborne in situ and satellite remote sensing climatologies of cirrus and humidity, which serve as a guide to cirrus clouds. Further, exemplary radiative characteristics of cirrus types and also in situ observations of tropical tropopause layer cirrus and humidity in the Asian monsoon anticyclone are shown.
Isabell Krisch, Manfred Ern, Lars Hoffmann, Peter Preusse, Cornelia Strube, Jörn Ungermann, Wolfgang Woiwode, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 11469–11490, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11469-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-11469-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
In 2016, a scientific research flight above Scandinavia acquired various atmospheric data (temperature, gas composition, etc.). Through advanced 3-D reconstruction methods, a superposition of multiple gravity waves was identified. An in-depth analysis enabled the characterisation of these waves as well as the identification of their sources. This work will enable a better understanding of atmosphere dynamics and could lead to improved climate projections.
Cornelia Strube, Manfred Ern, Peter Preusse, and Martin Riese
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 13, 4927–4945, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-4927-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-13-4927-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We present how inertial instabilities affect gravity wave background removal filters on different temperature data sets. Vertical filtering has to remove a part of the gravity wave spectrum to eliminate inertial instability remnants, while horizontal filtering leaves typical gravity wave scales untouched. In addition, we show that it is possible to separate inertial instabilities from gravity wave perturbations for infrared limb-sounding satellite profiles using a cutoff zonal wavenumber of 6.
Cited articles
Alexander, M. J. and Barnet, C.: Using Satellite Observations to Constrain
Parameterizations of Gravity Wave Effects for Global Models, J. Atmos. Sci., 64, 1652–1665, https://doi.org/10.1175/JAS3897.1, 2007. a, b
Alexander, M. J., Gille, J., Cavanaugh, C., Coffey, M., Craig, C., Eden, T.,
Francis, G., Halvorson, C., Hannigan, J., Khosravi, R., Kinnison, D., Lee,
H., Massie, S., Nardi, B., Barnett, J., Hepplewhite, C., Lambert, A., and
Dean, V.: Global estimates of gravity wave momentum flux from High Resolution
Dynamics Limb Sounder observations, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 113, D15S18, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JD008807, 2008. a, b
Alexander, M. J., Geller, M., McLandress, C., Polavarapu, S., Preusse, P.,
Sassi, F., Sato, K., Eckermann, S., Ern, M., Hertzog, A., Kawatani, Y.,
Pulido, M., Shaw, T. A., Sigmond, M., Vincent, R., and Watanabe, S.: Recent
developments in gravity-wave effects in climate models and the global
distribution of gravity-wave momentum flux from observations and models,
Q. J. Roy. Meteor. Soc., 136, 1103–1124,
https://doi.org/10.1002/qj.637, 2010. a
Babcock, H. D. and Herzberg, L.: Fine Structure of the Red System of
Atmospheric Oxygen Bands, Astrophys. J., 108, 167–190,
https://doi.org/10.1086/145062, 1948. a
Buehler, S., Eriksson, P., Kuhn, T., von Engeln, A., and Verdes, C.: ARTS,
the atmospheric radiative transfer simulator, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Ra., 91, 65–93,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jqsrt.2004.05.051, 2005. a
Carlotti, M., Dinelli, B. M., Raspollini, P., and Ridolfi, M.: Geo-fit approach
to the analysis of limb-scanning satellite measurements, Appl. Opt., 40,
1872–1885, https://doi.org/10.1364/ORS.2001.OWC5, 2001. a
Chandran, A., Rusch, D. W., Merkel, A. W., Palo, S. E., Thomas, G. E., Taylor,
M. J., Bailey, S. M., and Russell, J. M.: Polar mesospheric cloud structures
observed from the cloud imaging and particle size experiment on the Aeronomy
of Ice in the Mesosphere spacecraft: Atmospheric gravity waves as drivers for
longitudinal variability in polar mesospheric cloud occurrence, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 115, D13102,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD013185, 2010. a
Eckermann, S. D. and Preusse, P.: Global Measurements of Stratospheric Mountain
Waves from Space, Science, 286, 1534–1537,
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.286.5444.1534, 1999. a
Ehard, B., Kaifler, B., Kaifler, N., and Rapp, M.: Evaluation of methods for gravity wave extraction from middle-atmospheric lidar
temperature measurements, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 4645–4655, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-4645-2015, 2015. a
Ern, M., Lehmann, C., Kaufmann, M., and Riese, M.: Spectral wave analysis at the mesopause from SCIAMACHY airglow data
compared to SABER temperature spectra, Ann. Geophys., 27, 407–416, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-27-407-2009, 2009. a
Ern, M., Preusse, P., Gille, J. C., Hepplewhite, C. L., Mlynczak, M. G.,
Russell, J. M., and Riese, M.: Implications for atmospheric dynamics derived
from global observations of gravity wave momentum flux in stratosphere and
mesosphere, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 116,
D19107, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD015821, 2011. a, b
Ern, M., Hoffmann, L., and Preusse, P.: Directional gravity wave momentum
fluxes in the stratosphere derived from high-resolution AIRS temperature
data, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 475–485, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL072007,
2017. a, b
Fetzer, E. J. and Gille, J. C.: Gravity Wave Variance in LIMS Temperatures.
Part I: Variability and Comparison with Background Winds, J. Atmos. Sci., 51, 2461–2483,
https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0469(1994)051<2461:GWVILT>2.0.CO;2, 1994. a
Forbes, J. M., Russell, J., Miyahara, S., Zhang, X., Palo, S., Mlynczak, M.,
Mertens, C. J., and Hagan, M. E.: Troposphere-thermosphere tidal coupling as
measured by the SABER instrument on TIMED during July–September 2002,
J. Geophys. Res.-Space, 111, A10S06,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JA011492, 2006. a
Friedl-Vallon, F., Gulde, T., Hase, F., Kleinert, A., Kulessa, T., Maucher, G., Neubert, T., Olschewski, F., Piesch, C., Preusse, P.,
Rongen, H., Sartorius, C., Schneider, H., Schönfeld, A., Tan, V., Bayer, N., Blank, J., Dapp, R., Ebersoldt, A., Fischer, H., Graf, F.,
Guggenmoser, T., Höpfner, M., Kaufmann, M., Kretschmer, E., Latzko, T., Nordmeyer, H., Oelhaf, H., Orphal, J., Riese, M., Schardt, G.,
Schillings, J., Sha, M. K., Suminska-Ebersoldt, O., and Ungermann, J.: Instrument concept of the imaging Fourier transform spectrometer
GLORIA, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 3565–3577, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-3565-2014, 2014. a
Fritts, D. C. and Alexander, M. J.: Gravity wave dynamics and effects in the
middle atmosphere, Rev. Geophys., 41, 1003, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001RG000106,
2003. a, b
Fritts, D. C., Janches, D., Iimura, H., Hocking, W. K., Mitchell, N. J.,
Stockwell, R. G., Fuller, B., Vandepeer, B., Hormaechea, J., Brunini, C., and
Levato, H.: Southern Argentina Agile Meteor Radar: System design and initial
measurements of large-scale winds and tides, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 115, D18112, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JD013850, 2010. a
Geller, M. A., Alexander, M. J., Love, P. T., Bacmeister, J., Ern, M., Hertzog,
A., Manzini, E., Preusse, P., Sato, K., Scaife, A. A., and Zhou, T.: A
Comparison between Gravity Wave Momentum Fluxes in Observations and Climate
Models, J. Climate, 26, 6383–6405, https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-12-00545.1,
2013. a
Hoffmann, L. and Alexander, M. J.: Retrieval of stratospheric temperatures from
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder radiance measurements for gravity wave studies,
J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 114,
D07105, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD011241, 2009. a, b
Hoffmann, P., Becker, E., Singer, W., and Placke, M.: Seasonal variation of
mesospheric waves at northern middle and high latitudes, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phy., 72, 1068–1079,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2010.07.002, 2010. a
Hoffmann, P., Rapp, M., Singer, W., and Keuer, D.: Trends of mesospheric
gravity waves at northern middle latitudes during summer, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 116, D00P08, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD015717,
2011. a
John, S. R. and Kumar, K. K.: TIMED/SABER observations of global gravity wave
climatology and their interannual variability from stratosphere to mesosphere
lower thermosphere, Clim. Dynam., 39, 1489–1505,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-012-1329-9, 2012. a
Kaufmann, M., Blank, J., Guggenmoser, T., Ungermann, J., Engel, A., Ern, M., Friedl-Vallon, F., Gerber, D., Grooß, J. U., Guenther, G.,
Höpfner, M., Kleinert, A., Kretschmer, E., Latzko, Th., Maucher, G., Neubert, T., Nordmeyer, H., Oelhaf, H., Olschewski, F.,
Orphal, J., Preusse, P., Schlager, H., Schneider, H., Schuettemeyer, D., Stroh, F., Suminska-Ebersoldt, O., Vogel, B., M.
Volk, C., Woiwode, W., and Riese, M.: Retrieval of three-dimensional small-scale structures in u
pper-tropospheric/lower-stratospheric composition as measured by GLORIA, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 81–95, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-81-2015, 2015. a
Kaufmann, M., Deiml, M., Olschewski, F., Mantel, K., Wagner, F., Loosen, F.,
Fröhlich, D., Rongen, H., Neubert, T., Rottland, B., Schneider, H., Riese,
M., Knieling, P., Liu, J., Song, R., Wroblowski, O., Chen, Q., Koppmann, R.,
Solheim, B., Shan, J., and Shepherd, G.: A miniaturized satellite payload
hosting a spatial heterodyne spectrometer for remote sensing of atmospheric
temperature, in: IAA Symposium, Berlin, Germany, 2017. a
Krisch, I., Preusse, P., Ungermann, J., Dörnbrack, A., Eckermann, S. D., Ern, M., Friedl-Vallon, F., Kaufmann, M., Oelhaf, H., Rapp, M.,
Strube, C., and Riese, M.: First tomographic observations of gravity waves by the infrared limb imager GLORIA, Atmos. Chem. Phys.,
17, 14937–14953, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-17-14937-2017, 2017. a
Lindzen, R. S.: Turbulence and stress owing to gravity wave and tidal
breakdown, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 86, 9707–9714,
https://doi.org/10.1029/JC086iC10p09707, 1981. a
Liu, X., Yue, J., Xu, J., Wang, L., Yuan, W., Russell, J. M., and Hervig,
M. E.: Gravity wave variations in the polar stratosphere and mesosphere from
SOFIE/AIM temperature observations, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 119, 7368–7381, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JD021439, 2014. a
Liu, X., Yue, J., Xu, J., Garcia, R. R., Russell, J. M., Mlynczak, M., Wu,
D. L., and Nakamura, T.: Variations of global gravity waves derived from
14
years of SABER temperature observations, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 122, 6231–6249, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JD026604, 2017. a
Livesey, N. J. and Read, W. G.: Direct retrieval of line-of-sight atmospheric
structure from limb sounding observations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 27,
891–894, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999GL010964, 2000. a
Medvedev, A. and Klaassen, G.: Parameterization of gravity wave momentum
deposition based on nonlinear wave interactions: basic formulation and
sensitivity tests, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phy., 62,
1015–1033, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1364-6826(00)00067-5, 2000. a
Nakamura, T., Higashikawa, A., Tsuda, T., and Matsushita, Y.: Seasonal
variations of gravity wave structures in OH airglow with a CCD imager at
Shigaraki, Earth Planets Space, 51, 897–906, https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03353248,
1999. a
Pautet, D. and Moreels, G.: Ground-based satellite-type images of the
upper-atmosphere emissive layer, Appl. Opt., 41, 823–831,
https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.41.000823, 2002. a
Placke, M., Hoffmann, P., Becker, E., Jacobi, C., Singer, W., and Rapp, M.:
Gravity wave momentum fluxes in the MLT–Part II: Meteor radar investigations
at high and midlatitudes in comparison with modeling studies, J. Atmos. Sol.-Terr. Phy., 73, 911–920,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jastp.2010.05.007, 2011. a
Preusse, P., Dörnbrack, A., Eckermann, S. D., Riese, M., Schaeler, B.,
Bacmeister, J. T., Broutman, D., and Grossmann, K. U.: Space-based
measurements of stratospheric mountain waves by CRISTA 1. Sensitivity,
analysis method, and a case study, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 107, 8178, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JD000699, 2002. a, b, c
Remsberg, E. E., Gordley, L. L., Marshall, B., Thompson, R., Burton, J., Bhatt,
P., Harvey, V., Lingenfelser, G., and Natarajan, M.: The Nimbus 7 LIMS
version 6 radiance conditioning and temperature retrieval methods and
results, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Ra., 86, 395–424, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jqsrt.2003.12.007, 2004. a
Riese, M., Spang, R., Preusse, P., Ern, M., Jarisch, M., Offermann, D., and
Grossmann, K. U.: Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the
Atmosphere (CRISTA) data processing and atmospheric temperature and trace gas
retrieval, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 104,
16349–16367, https://doi.org/10.1029/1998JD100057,
1999. a
Riese, M., Friedl-Vallon, F., Spang, R., Preusse, P., Schiller, C., Hoffmann,
L., Konopka, P., Oelhaf, H., von Clarmann, T., and Höpfner, M.: GLObal limb
Radiance Imager for the Atmosphere (GLORIA): Scientific objectives, Adv.
Space Res., 36, 989–995,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2005.04.115, 2005. a
Rocken, C., Anthes, R., Exner, M., Hunt, D., Sokolovskiy, S., Ware, R.,
Gorbunov, M., Schreiner, W., Feng, D., Herman, B., Kuo, Y.-H., and Zou, X.:
Analysis and validation of GPS/MET data in the neutral atmosphere, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 102, 29849–29866,
https://doi.org/10.1029/97JD02400, 1997. a
Rothman, L., Gordon, I., Babikov, Y., Barbe, A., Benner, D. C., Bernath, P.,
Birk, M., Bizzocchi, L., Boudon, V., Brown, L., Campargue, A., Chance, K.,
Cohen, E., Coudert, L., Devi, V., Drouin, B., Fayt, A., Flaud, J.-M.,
Gamache, R., Harrison, J., Hartmann, J.-M., Hill, C., Hodges, J., Jacquemart,
D., Jolly, A., Lamouroux, J., Roy, R. L., Li, G., Long, D., Lyulin, O.,
Mackie, C., Massie, S., Mikhailenko, S., Müller, H., Naumenko, O., Nikitin,
A., Orphal, J., Perevalov, V., Perrin, A., Polovtseva, E., Richard, C.,
Smith, M., Starikova, E., Sung, K., Tashkun, S., Tennyson, J., Toon, G.,
Tyuterev, V., and Wagner, G.: The HITRAN2012 molecular spectroscopic
database, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Ra., 130, 4–50, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jqsrt.2013.07.002, 2013. a, b
Schmidt, H., Brasseur, G. P., Charron, M., Manzini, E., Giorgetta, M. A.,
Diehl, T., Fomichev, V. I., Kinnison, D., Marsh, D., and Walters, S.: The
HAMMONIA Chemistry Climate Model: Sensitivity of the Mesopause Region to the
11-Year Solar Cycle and CO2 Doubling, J. Climate, 19, 3903–3931,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI3829.1, 2006. a
Schroeder, S., Preusse, P., Ern, M., and Riese, M.: Gravity waves resolved in
ECMWF and measured by SABER, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L10805,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL037054, 2009. a
Song, R., Kaufmann, M., Ungermann, J., Ern, M., Liu, G., and Riese, M.: Tomographic reconstruction of atmospheric
gravity wave parameters from airglow observations, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 4601–4612, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-4601-2017, 2017. a, b, c
Suzuki, S., Shiokawa, K., Otsuka, Y., Ogawa, T., and Wilkinson, P.: Statistical
characteristics of gravity waves observed by an all-sky imager at Darwin,
Australia, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 109,
D20S07, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003JD004336, 2004. a
Suzuki, S., Nakamura, T., Ejiri, M. K., Tsutsumi, M., Shiokawa, K., and
Kawahara, T. D.: Simultaneous airglow, lidar, and radar measurements of
mesospheric gravity waves over Japan, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 115, D24113, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JD014674, 2010. a
Tikhonov, A. N. and Arsenin, V. I.: Solutions of ill-posed problems, Scripta
series in mathematics, Winston; distributed solely by Halsted Press,
Washington: New York, 1977. a
Trinh, Q. T., Kalisch, S., Preusse, P., Chun, H.-Y., Eckermann, S. D., Ern, M., and Riese, M.: A comprehensive observational
filter for satellite infrared limb sounding of gravity waves, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 1491–1517, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-1491-2015, 2015. a
Tsuda, T., Nishida, M., Rocken, C., and Ware, R. H.: A Global Morphology of
Gravity Wave Activity in the Stratosphere Revealed by the GPS Occultation
Data (GPS/MET), J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 105,
7257–7273, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999JD901005, 2000. a
Ungermann, J., Hoffmann, L., Preusse, P., Kaufmann, M., and Riese, M.: Tomographic retrieval approach for mesoscale
gravity wave observations by the PREMIER Infrared Limb-Sounder, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 3, 339–354, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-3-339-2010, 2010. a
Ungermann, J., Blank, J., Lotz, J., Leppkes, K., Hoffmann, L., Guggenmoser, T., Kaufmann, M., Preusse, P., Naumann, U., and
Riese, M.: A 3-D tomographic retrieval approach with advection compensation for the air-borne limb-imager GLORIA, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 4, 2509–2529, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-4-2509-2011, 2011. a
Vallance Jones, A.: Aurora Geophysics and Astrophysics Monographs, D. Reidel,
Hingham, Mass, 1974. a
Vincent, R. A.: The dynamics of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere: a brief
review, Progress in Earth and Planetary Science, 2,
4, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40645-015-0035-8, 2015. a
Ward, W. E.: A simple model of diurnal variations in the mesospheric oxygen
nightglow, Geophys. Res. Lett., 26, 3565–3568,
https://doi.org/10.1029/1999GL003661, 1999. a
Wright, C. J., Osprey, S. M., Barnett, J. J., Gray, L. J., and Gille, J. C.:
High Resolution Dynamics Limb Sounder measurements of gravity wave activity
in the 2006 Arctic stratosphere, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 115, D02105, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009JD011858, 2010. a
Wu, D. L.: Mesoscale gravity wave variances from AMSU-A radiances, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, L12114, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL019562, 2004. a, b
Short summary
In this paper, we propose a new observation strategy, called
sweep mode, for a real three-dimensional tomographic reconstruction of gravity waves in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere by modifying the observation geometry of conventional limb-sounding measurements. It enhances the horizontal resolution that typical limb sounders can achieve while at the same time retaining the good vertical resolution they have.
In this paper, we propose a new observation strategy, called
sweep mode, for a real...