Abstract
We report the first discovery of regular occurrence of mid-latitude thermosphere-ionosphere Na (TINa) layers (110–150 km) over Boulder (40.13°N, 105.24°W), Colorado. Detection of tenuous Na layers (~0.1–1 cm−3 from 150 to 130 km) was enabled by high-sensitivity Na Doppler lidar. A new data processing technique is applied to pave the way for the discovery, which is Na volume mixing ratio calculations. For the first time, TINa layers are observed occurring regularly in various months and years, descending from ~125 km after dusk and from ~150 km before dawn. About 7 years of lidar observations reveal Boulder TINa dawn layers with nearly 100% occurrence rate (160 out of 164 nights of observations). These layers provide a natural laboratory for studying the ion-neutral coupling and act as tracers for extending the profiling of neutral wind and temperature into the E to lower F regions. Such potentials offered by the TINa layers promote future advancement of lidar technologies for even higher detection sensitivities to enable new science endeavors.
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Chen, Y., Chu, X. (2023). First Discovery of Regular Occurrence of Mid-Latitude Thermosphere-Ionosphere Na (TINa) Layers Observed with High-Sensitivity Na Doppler Lidar and New Data Processing Techniques over Boulder. In: Sullivan, J.T., et al. Proceedings of the 30th International Laser Radar Conference. ILRC 2022. Springer Atmospheric Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37818-8_110
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-37818-8_110
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