Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - First observations of the artificial modulation of polar mesospheric winter echoes
AU - Kavanagh, A. J.
AU - Honary, F.
AU - Rietveld, M. T.
AU - Senior, A.
PY - 2006/10
Y1 - 2006/10
N2 - We demonstrate for the first time that the application of ionospheric heating can affect the strength of polar mesospheric winter echoes (PMWE) detected by VHF radar. PMWE were observed between 61.8 and 68.5 km altitude and we show that the signal strength can be modulated with 10-second and 1-minute cycles. The structures that cause PMWE are shown to extend over several hundred meters (∼300 m) with echoes existing in two height regimes simultaneously and a descent in altitude indicative of gravity wave effects. The effect on PMWE of ionospheric heating has similar gross features to those for PMSE: a sharp decrease in power when HF heating is switched on followed by a sharp increase when heating is switched off. During the period of active heating there is some recovery in echo power suggestive of dust control of the PMWE.
AB - We demonstrate for the first time that the application of ionospheric heating can affect the strength of polar mesospheric winter echoes (PMWE) detected by VHF radar. PMWE were observed between 61.8 and 68.5 km altitude and we show that the signal strength can be modulated with 10-second and 1-minute cycles. The structures that cause PMWE are shown to extend over several hundred meters (∼300 m) with echoes existing in two height regimes simultaneously and a descent in altitude indicative of gravity wave effects. The effect on PMWE of ionospheric heating has similar gross features to those for PMSE: a sharp decrease in power when HF heating is switched on followed by a sharp increase when heating is switched off. During the period of active heating there is some recovery in echo power suggestive of dust control of the PMWE.
KW - eiscat
KW - heating
KW - pmwe
KW - mesosphere DCS-publications-id
KW - art-788
KW - DCS-publications-credits
KW - iono-fa
KW - DCS-publications-personnel-id
KW - 9
KW - 5
KW - 51
U2 - 10.1029/2006GL027565
DO - 10.1029/2006GL027565
M3 - Journal article
VL - 33
SP - L19801
JO - Geophysical Research Letters
JF - Geophysical Research Letters
SN - 0094-8276
IS - 19
ER -