SA22A-08
Neutral Wind Observations below 200 km altitudes

Tuesday, 15 December 2015: 12:05
2016 (Moscone West)
Shigeto Watanabe1, Takumi Abe2, Hiroto Habu2, Yoshihiro Kakinami3, Miguel Folkmar Larsen4, Robert F Pfaff Jr5, Mamoru Yamamoto6 and Masayuki Yamamoto6, (1)Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan, (2)Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Kanagawa, Japan, (3)Kochi University of Technology, Kami, Kochi, Japan, (4)Clemson University, Clemson, SC, United States, (5)NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Heliophysics Sci. Div., Greenbelt, MD, United States, (6)Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
Abstract:
Neutral Wind Observations below 200 km altitudes

S. Watanabe1, T. Abe2, H. Habu2, Y. Kakinami3, M. Larsen4, R. Pfaff5, M. Yamamoto6, M-Y. Yamamoto3

1Hokkaido University/Hokkaido Information University, 2JAXA/ISAS, 3Kochi University of Technology, 4Clemson University, 5NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, 6Kyoto University,

Neutral wind in the thermosphere is one of the key parameters to understand the ionosphere-thermosphere coupling process. JAXA/ISAS successfully launched sounding rockets from Uchinoura Space Center (USC) on September 2, 2007, January 12, 2012, and July 20, 2013, and NASA launched sounding rockets from Kwajalein on May 7, 2013 and from Wallops on July 4, 2013. The rockets installed Lithium and/or TMA canisters as well as instruments for plasma and electric and magnetic fields. The atomic Lithium gases were released at altitudes between 150 km and 300 km in the evening on September 2, 2007, at altitude of ~100 km in the morning on January 12, 2012, at altitude of ~120km in the midnight on July 20, 2013, at altitude between 150 km and 300 km in the evening on May 7, 2013 and at altitude of ~150 km in the noon on July 4, 2013. The Lithium atoms were scattering sunlight by resonance scattering with wavelength of 670nm. However, the Lithium atoms scattered moon light on July 20, 2013. The moon light scattering is the first time to use for thermospheric wind measurement in the midnight. The Lithium clouds/trails and TMA trails showed clearly the neutral wind shears and atmospheric waves at ~150 km altitude in the lower thermosphere for all local time.

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