First SuperDARN polar mesosphere summer echoes observed at SANAE IV, Antarctica
Abstract
For over 3 decades studies on Polar mesosphere summer echo (PMSE) is ongoing. Its causative mechanism in the Antarctic and Arctic mesopause altitude is yet to be completely understood and is partly due to few observations from Antarctica. Also important were the varied influencing factors across the observable locations. For the first time, we report the PMSE occurrence probability rates over South African National Antarctic Expedition IV (SANAE IV). A comparison is made with observation from SANAE IV magnetic conjugate vicinity, Goose Bay in Arctic region. Here, a new matching coincidence method allowing filtration of possible contaminating echoes is described and implemented for extraction of PMSE during the 2005-2007 summers. In this method, Riometer and Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) measurements from SANAE IV location are matched to obtain PMSE occurrence probability rate. Whereas the seasonal and diurnal variations followed the known features of PMSE, the percentage difference in probability occurrence rate is found to be remarkable. The SANAE IV probability rate is found to be high for the summer months reaching about 50% peak around the summer solstice. When the coincidence algorithm is relaxed, we found a substantial 30% increase in PMSE occurrence rate at SANAE IV. At this time, about 100% peak is found for Goose Bay. The contribution from the ionospheric D region electron density enhancements to SuperDARN PMSE occurrence rates at locations under auroral regions will be presented.
- Publication:
-
40th COSPAR Scientific Assembly
- Pub Date:
- 2014
- Bibcode:
- 2014cosp...40E2341O