A new OH airglow imager at the Poker Flat Research Range for the study of gravity waves, instabilities and breaking

This research aims to analyze and report on gravity wave events that take place over the Arctic region. The study uses an OH airglow imager at the Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR) in Alaska. The imager uses a Xeva Xenics camera which views the near-infrared emission from 900 to 1700 nm, overlapping the OH Meinel bands. The lens used in this study is a 185-degree, fisheye lens for all-sky viewing. The imager will resolve small-scale gravity waves, breaking, and instabilities near ~86km. The poster presentation will include samples of new data taken by this imager, which will eventually be used with data collected by several other instruments at PFRR. The results provide an opportunity to study gravity waves, instabilities, and breaking, which can cause turbulence near the spacecraft re-entry region, and deposit momentum resulting in drag on background mean winds.