Enhancement of Thomson scatter by charged
aerosols in the polar mesosphere: Measurements with a 1.29-GHz
radar
The summer polar mesosphere was observed with the Sondrestrom 1.29-GHz
radar with a new high-resolution data acquisition mode. On one
occasion, a spatially narrow enhancement in the backscattered power
was seen near an altitude of 88 km. We discuss possible explanations
and propose that this layer may be the first example of polar
mesosphere summer echoes (PMSE) detected above 1 GHz. Specifically,
we suggest that these echoes are enhanced Thomson scatter from a layer
of charged aerosols, and we speculate upon the size and charge state.
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