Cancelled: Atmospheric Gravity Wave Climatology Over McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Atmospheric gravity waves (GW) play an important role in the global atmospheric circulation via transportation and deposition of momentum from the lower atmosphere to the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere (MLT ~80 to 120 km altitude). MLT GW dynamics are of great importance in understanding the coupling between the lower and upper atmosphere. Small scale GWs contribute the most to the vertical transport of momentum in the MLT region. Imaging of airglow layers is one of the main techniques used to investigate the properties of GWs, which are characterized by their observed period, phase speed, direction of propagation, duration, and number of events. This novel research program will utilize recently obtained (2017-2020) high quality measurements of GWs using the Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mappers operating at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. As part of the Antarctic Gravity Wave Instrument Network (ANGWIN) program we have established the ability to use the M-Transform, 3-D FFT phase speed convolution, analysis used to determine wave phase velocity. This analysis technique applied to the large data set will be able to achieve the following key objectives:
• Study the intermittency of GWs at mesosphere lower thermosphere and its relation to source activity and background atmospheric structure.
• Understand the effects of the winter vortex on mesosphere lower thermosphere GWs.
• Investigate the intra-seasonal and inter-annual variability of GWs sources, phase velocity, and energy.