Polar Mesospheric Dynamics Workshop

Tom Duck (tomduck@haystack.mit.edu) MIT/Haystack
Front Range, 4:00-6:00
Thursday, June 21, 2001

1. Introduction

This year's CEDAR workshop on Polar Mesospheric Dynamics will be used to discuss observations and models of polar winds, temperatures, gravity waves and thermal inversion layers. In particular the question of why mesospheric inversion layers are often observed at midlatitudes but relatively infrequently at polar latitudes will be addressed. Measurements of meteor winds from an Arctic site will be shown, and the application of stratospheric gravity wave prediction models to the mesosphere will be considered. The workshop will end with a discussion of how observations and models can be better used together to investigate the polar mesosphere. A list of the speakers and discussion topics is given below.

2. Speakers and Discussion Topics

The following individuals will give short presentations and lead the discussions:

• Tom Duck - Mesospheric inversion layers at high latitudes
• Nick Mitchell - Observations of mesospheric winds and waves at Esrange
• Steve Eckermann - Model predictions of gravity wave activity
• Dave Fritts - The combined use of observations and models in studies of the polar mesosphere

3. Background

See the notes from the 2000 Polar Mesospheric Dynamics Workshop at http://www.haystack.mit.edu/~tomduck/cedar_ws/2000.html for background on what has been discussed previously.