First measurements of mesospheric vertical velocities by VHF radar at temperate latitudes

Abstract

A program of ground‐based VHF measurements of turbulence and of wave and tidal motions in the mesosphere has been initiated by the University of Illinois using a high‐power radar facility located at Urbana, Illinois. Observations show scattering occurring intermittently during the daytime throughout the mesosphere. Vertical velocities exhibit the presence of gravity waves with dominant periods near 10 min and amplitudes ranging from less than 1 m s −1 to approximately 5 m s −1 .