Colorado State University (CSU) Lidar Data Reanalysis for Gravity Wave and Long-term Studies

Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

This project is to compile a new database of hourly night-time parameters characterizing the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) based on reanalysis of historical data acquired by the Colorado State University sodium lidar system. Temperature measurements obtained between 1990 and 2001will be re-processed to the same spatial resolution (2 km) as more recent data, thus enabling longer-term investigations than previously possible, while data acquired from 2002 to 2009 will be re-processed with a spatial resolution of 1 km and a temporal resolution of 5-15 minutes for gravity wave studies. Additional project goals are to conduct scientific investigations of gravity wave dynamics using the high-temporal resolution data and to use the long-term temperature data set to investigate mesospheric responses to variations in solar activity and the El Nino Southern Oscillation. The re-analyzed data will be made available to the CEDAR Database for further community use.