Physics Commons^™

Early Rayleigh-Scatter Lidar Temperature Measurements From The Lower Thermosphere, Leda Sox, Vincent B. Wickwar

Leda Sox

Rayleigh-scatter lidar observations were made on many clear nights at the Atmospheric Lidar Observatory (ALO) at Utah State University (USU) from 1993 to 2004 in the altitude range 45–90 km. An upgraded facility, 66 times more sensitive, has been brought on line. It has resulted in temperature measurements with maximum altitudes that extend into new territory—the lower thermosphere. All-night temperature averages have been recorded up to an altitude of 114 km. Temperatures from each month, starting in June 2014, are presented and discussed. They are compared to each other, to the ALO-USU climatology from the original lidar, and to temperatures …