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Understanding the contributions of tides and tidal-like motions to the high-altitude polar temperature structure is a critical NASA Heliophysics science goal. However, no measurements covering all longitudes at high latitudes exist to date. Atmospheric tides, which occur on a daily basis at well-defined periods, are a critical agent for coupling of atmospheric regions as well as a prominent source of variability in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region. Their propagating characteristics differ significantly depending on their periods and locations, and they can therefore transmit information about tropospheric and stratospheric processes and variability to high altitudes. On a broader view, atmospheric temperature, in general, is a fundamental parameter for atmospheric science, and a leading indicator of climate change. Many phenomena, such as polar mesospheric cloud (PMC), polar stratospheric cloud (PSC), and chemical reactions in the MLT, are controlled by temperature. Studies have shown that the polar region of the middle and upper atmosphere is more sensitive to global climate change than other altitudes and latitudes. Middle and upper atmosphere temperature measurements in the polar region are therefore an excellent and crucial resource to monitor inter-hemispheric atmospheric coupling as well as climate change.
B-SoLiTARe will be launched from McMurdo Base Antarctica during the austral summer and circumnavigate the South Pole in 7-10 days to measure, for the first time at all longitudes, tidal-like frequency (3-24 h) structures, averaged over a latitudinal band, at high southern latitudes using laser spectroscopy from a sub-orbital platform.
These measurements will address the following science question (SQs) and technical objectives (TOs):
SQ1: What are the zonal (longitudinal) wavenumbers, amplitudes, and vertical structures of the diurnal (24 h-) and semidiurnal (12 h-) tides at polar latitudes, as well as the relatively unexplored 8- and 6- h tides? SQ2: Are the presence of Inertia Gravity Waves (IGWs) with periods between 3-10 h as persistent and dominant throughout the summer antarctic S-MLT as recent lidar observations have shown them to be at McMurdo during winter? If so can they be distinguished from the 8, and 6 h tides based on the vertical and horizontal structure? TO1: Advance the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) to 6 of the NASA/GSFC Na transmitter laser using Raman crystal technology. TO2: Assess the quality of data for future sub-orbital/space-born lidar investigations of gravity wave (GW)- and turbulence-induced heat and constituent fluxes that would require more demanding measurements capabilities (i.e., higher signal levels and smaller vertical and temporal resolutions)
The proposed investigation is relevant to the H-LCAS program since it addresses NASA Heliophysics Science Goals and Decadal's Key Science Goal 2. B-SoLiTARe will utilize an instrument developed by the proposing team and the resulting datasets will be reduced, analyzed, and interpreted during the proposed period of performance and ultimately archived in a NASA on-line facility. In addition, the proposed investigation will advance the development of technologies developed through previous H-TIDeS awards.
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