Simultaneous mesosphere-thermosphere-ionosphere parameter measurements over Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E): First results

Abstract

[1] We report first simultaneous airglow, lidar, and total electron content measurements in the mesosphere-thermosphere-ionosphere system behavior from Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E). The observed variability in mesospheric temperatures and 630 nm thermospheric emission intensity shows large variations from one night to another with clear upward propagating waves at mesospheric altitudes. The deduced mesospheric temperatures compare well with Sounding of the Atmosphere Using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER)–derived temperatures, while the variability agrees well with lidar temperatures (on the night of simultaneous observations). The 630.0 nm thermospheric emission intensity and GPS-total electron content data exhibit occurrence of plasma depletions on the nights of 22–23 October and 22–23 May 2009, while no depletions are noted on the nearby nights of 23–24 October and 21–22 May 2009. These first simultaneous data reveal strong gravity-wave growth at upper mesospheric altitudes on the nights when plasma depletions were noted.