Articles | Volume 19, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-4277-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-19-4277-2026
Research article
 | 
30 Jun 2026
Research article |  | 30 Jun 2026

Monitoring of lower thermospheric neutral density variations using meteor head echoes

Devin Huyghebaert, Juha Vierinen, Björn Gustavsson, Ralph Latteck, Toralf Renkwitz, Marius Zecha, Claudia C. Stephan, J. Federico Conte, Daniel Kastinen, Johan Kero, and Jorge L. Chau

Related authors

Optical and Radar Observations of the February 2025 Falcon 9 Upper-Stage Re-entry
Juha Vierinen, Dabrowka Knach, Jorge Luis Chau, Gerd Baumgarten, Devin Huyghebaert, Matthias Clahsen, Nico Pfeffer, Toralf Renkwitz, Robin Wing, Kenneth Obenberger, Björn Gustavsson, and Daniel Kastinen
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2857,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2857, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Annales Geophysicae (ANGEO).
Short summary
The composite radar-GNSS spectrum of auroral plasma turbulence
Magnus F. Ivarsen, Kaili Song, Luca Spogli, Jean-Pierre St-Maurice, Devin Ray Huyghebaert, Brian Pitzel, Saif Marei, Yangyang Shen, Satoshi Kasahara, Kunihiro Keika, Yoshizumi Miyoshi, Tomo Hori, Atsuki Shinbori, Kazuhiro Yamamoto, David Russel Themens, P. Thayyil Jayachandran, Yoichi Kazama, Shiang-Yu Wang, Ayako Matsuoka, Iku Shinohara, Takefumi Mitani, Takeshi Takashima, Shoichiro Yokota, Yoshiya Kasahara, and Glenn Hussey
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2344,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2344, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Annales Geophysicae (ANGEO).
Short summary
Improving the Magic constant – data-based calibration of phased array radars
Theresa Rexer, Björn Gustavsson, Juha Vierinen, Andres Spicher, Devin Ray Huyghebaert, Andreas Kvammen, Robert Gillies, and Asti Bhatt
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 15, 127–139, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-15-127-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-15-127-2026, 2026
Short summary
Plasma density estimation from ionograms and geophysical parameters with deep learning
Kian Sartipzadeh, Andreas Kvammen, Björn Gustavsson, Njål Gulbrandsen, Magnar G. Johnsen, Devin Huyghebaert, and Juha Vierinen
Ann. Geophys., 44, 85–107, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-44-85-2026,https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-44-85-2026, 2026
Short summary
Toolkit for incoherent scatter radar experiment design and applications to EISCAT_3D
Spencer Mark Hatch, Ilkka Virtanen, Karl Magnus Laundal, Habtamu Wubie Tesfaw, Juha Vierinen, Devin Ray Huyghebaert, Andres Spicher, and Jens Christian Hessen
Ann. Geophys., 43, 633–649, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-43-633-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-43-633-2025, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Blaauw, R. C., Campbell-Brown, M. D., and Weryk, R. J.: Mass distribution indices of sporadic meteors using radar data, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 412, 2033–2039, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2966.2010.18038.x, 2011. a
Campbell-Brown, M.: High resolution radiant distribution and orbits of sporadic radar meteoroids, Icarus, 196, 144–163, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2008.02.022, 2008. a
Chau, J. L. and Woodman, R. F.: Observations of meteor-head echoes using the Jicamarca 50 MHz radar in interferometer mode, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 4, 511–521, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-4-511-2004, 2004. a
Chau, J. L., Woodman, R. F., and Galindo, F.: Sporadic meteor sources as observed by the Jicamarca high-power large-aperture VHF radar, Icarus, 188, 162–174, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2006.11.006, 2007. a
Close, S., Oppenheim, M., Hunt, S., and Coster, A.: A technique for calculating meteor plasma density and meteoroid mass from radar head echo scattering, Icarus, 168, 43–52, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2003.11.018, 2004. a
Download
Short summary
The phenomena of meteors occurs at altitudes of 60–120 km and can be used to measure the neutral atmosphere. We use a large high power radar system in Norway (Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY)) to measure the meteors and determine changes to the atmospheric density between the years of 2016–2023 at altitudes of 85–115 km. The same time period between years are compared, minimizing changes to the measurements due to factors other than the atmosphere.
Share