Title: Simultaneous airglow, lidar, and radar measurements of mesospheric gravity waves over Japan
Abstract: To investigate gravity wave dynamics in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region, we conducted coordinated observations of mesospheric gravity waves over Japan during the Aeronomy and Dynamics Observation campaign. Two all‐sky airglow imagers were used in this campaign to derive a two‐dimensional structure of the gravity waves; these imagers were installed at the middle and upper atmosphere (MU) observatory in Shigaraki (34.9°N, 136.1°E) and at the Dynic Astropark Observatory in Taga (35.2°N, 136.3°E). Simultaneous measurements of the horizontal winds and the temperature in the MLT region were provided by the meteor‐mode observations of the MU radar at Shigaraki and by a sodium temperature lidar at Uji (34.9°N, 135.8°E), respectively. On 2 October 2008, gravity waves having a horizontal wavelength of ∼170 km, wave period of ∼1 h, and propagating northeastward at ∼50 m s −1 were observed in the airglow keograms. Similar wave structures were observed in the time series of the meteor wind and lidar temperature data; the polarity of these waves varied consistently with the airglow intensity variations according to the linear theory of gravity waves. The phase speeds and momentum fluxes of the gravity waves, estimated from the wind and temperature observations, were also in good agreement with those obtained from the airglow measurements. These results demonstrate, both qualitatively and quantitatively, that an identical gravity wave structure was detected in all the airglow intensities, radar winds, and lidar temperature.