Publication Date:
2016-07-12
Description:
The meteoric metal layers (Na, Fe, K) - which form as a result of the ablation of incoming meteors - act as unique tracers for chemical and dynamical processes that occur within the upper mesosphere/lower thermosphere region. In this work, we examine whether these metal layers are sensitive indicators of decadal long term changes within the upper atmosphere. Output from a whole-atmosphere climate model is used to assess the response of the Na, K and Fe layers across a 50-year period (1955-2005). At short timescales, the K layer has previously been shown to exhibit a very different seasonal behavior compared to the other metals. Here we show that this unusual behavior is also exhibited at longer time-scales (both the ~11-yr solar cycle and 50-yr periods), where K displays a much more pronounced response to atmospheric temperature changes than either Na or Fe. The contrasting solar cycle behavior of the K and Na layers predicted by the model is confirmed using satellite and lidar observations for the period 2004-2013.
Print ISSN:
0148-0227
Topics:
Geosciences
,
Physics
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