Investigating monochromatic wave events in the summer polar mesosphere

The primary goal of the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite is to investigate the nature, formation and evolution of Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMC) near the high-latitude summer mesopause region. The Cloud Imaging and Particle Size experiment (CIPS) on AIM is a four camera, wide-field (120° x 80°) UV imager capable of measuring PMC morphology and imaging gravity wave events within the PMCs over a broad range of scale-sizes. In this study, we present results of a 2-D spectral analysis of prominent wave events evident in the PMC layer. We utilize high quality CIPS images obtained during the recent 2009 northern hemisphere season to investigate occurrence frequency, dominant horizontal scale sizes, preferential alignments of the wave events and their geographic distribution. Our goal is to better understand the occurrence and properties of waves in the summer polar mesosphere and their potential sources.