Imaging mesospheric winds using the Michelson interferometer for airglow dynamics imaging

The first ground based images of mesospheric winds in airglow are presented and discussed in this paper. These were obtained with the Michelson Interferometer for Airglow Dynamics Imaging (MIADI)a ground based field widened Michelsoin interferometer designed to obtain two dimensional images of the line of sight Doppler wind and irradiance field in the mesosphere. The purpose of this instrument is to measure perturbations in line-of-sight wind and airglow irradiance associated with gravity waves. In its current configuration, the instrument observes an ~80 km x ~80 km region of the night sky in ~33 minutes using the O(1S) emission at 557.73 nm and the OH (6, 2) P1 (2) emission at 839.918 nm. The instrument was installed and tested at a field site outside Fredericton, NB (45.96 N, 66.65 W) during the summer of 2014. Successful measurements over a six hour period were obtained on July 31, 2014. Variations in the meridional and zonal wind were observed that are consistent with a semi-diurnal tide with an amplitude of ∼ 35 m/s. Small scale variations (< 10 m/s) were also observed that indicate the presence of gravity waves. In this paper, the instrument concept will be presented and the field measurements and their precision and accuracy discussed.