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Davis Medium Frequency Middle Atmosphere Radar Winds

Entry ID: Davis_MFSA_Radar

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Summary

Abstract: This dataset contains wind speed and direction in the middle atmosphere above Davis, Antarctica. The experiment runs continuously. Data are collected and stored every two minutes (excluding downtime for maintenance and data transfer) for heights in the range 64km to 102km at 2km intervals. Analysis of the source data yields parameters describing the strength and character of the radar echo and, ...

Related URL

Link: GET DATA

Description: Download page for Australian Antarctic Data Centre

Geographic Coverage

(Click for Interactive Map)

Spatial coordinates

N: -68.0

S: -69.0

E: 79.0

W: 78.0

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 1994-04-14

Stop Date: 2012-06-30

Location Keywords

CONTINENT > ANTARCTICA > Davis

GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR

VERTICAL LOCATION > MESOSPHERE

VERTICAL LOCATION > STRATOSPHERE

Science Keywords

ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC WINDS > UPPER LEVEL WINDS

ISO Topic Category

CLIMATOLOGY/METEOROLOGY/ATMOSPHERE

Platform

FIXED OBSERVATION STATIONS

Instrument

RADAR > Radio Detection and Ranging

Quality Data analysis may or may not yield a full set of attributes. Data acceptance rates vary with height. The radar runs continuously with the exception of time taken to remove data from the system: approx 10min per week. Source data consists of digitised and coherently averaged measurements of the in phase and in quadrature signal levels for each of the three receiving antennas and for each range ... that is sampled. The source data are collected for the first 102.4 seconds of each 2 minute interval that the radar is operational. The source data are analysed using Full Correlation Analysis to produce winds and a number of parameters describing the radar echoes. All data are labelled with height and time. The radar produces an average wind for the region described by the geographical polygon.

Polarisation of the 2001 data are considered questionable.

Taken from the 2008-2009 Progress Report:
Field work:
The converted shipping container that housed the MFSA radar electronics at Davis had aged to the point of needing replacement.
AAD funds were successfully sought to replace it and a new container was prepared for use (in Australia), shipped to Davis and installed during the 2008/2009 season. The changeover occured with great efficiency (Thanks to the electronics engineers at Davis and the trades group) and very little data was lost in the process.

During hut replacement, some disused cables were removed from the site.

Ongoing problems with the MF radar acquisition PC (due to increased CPU load) and with the installation of a previously supplied replacement (due to a subtle incompatibility with a serial interface card) were resolved with the purchase and installation of new rack mounted PCs. Virus checking software on the Acquisition PC had grown to the point that data acquisitions would fail under the increased load. The replacement of this PC has resolved this problem, the system acquires data at full capacity and we have returned to the state where a drop in replacement is available if needed.

Laboratory activity/analysis:
An investigation of the short-term variations in polar MLT tidal amplitudes for wavenumbers from zero to three has been carried out. A search for the source regions of these tidal products has identified the northern stratosphere (as predicted by models) and has explained the difference in the source region latitudinal distribution for the wave numbers considered. These results have been accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters.

Our ability to resolve tidal wavenumbers over Antarctica (using the Antarctic MF radar network) has allowed us to calculate the horizontal flux of horizontal momentum in the polar MLT. Early indications are that the divergence of this quantity is non-zero. If this result is verified, it will identify a source of momentum for the region not previously considered to be significant.

Studies are underway that will test recent theories of interhemispheric coupling between the northern stratosphere and the southern polar MLT. These use both our series of wind observations from the Davis MF radar and global observations of the wind and temperature. The latter have been assimilated into a model representation of the troposphere and stratosphere and allow the extraction of large-scale wind and wave variations in those regions. These are thought to modulate the propagation of gravity waves into the stratosphere and mesosphere. The circulation driven (or altered) by these waves then affects the state of the MLT. The Davis MF radar has operated for almost 15 years. This long data set will allow us to investigate interhemispheric coupling over a long time base.

Access Constraints Binary data stored in format as defined in 'Atmospheric Radar Systems MF 3 Channel Radar Systems' Software Reference manual V3.2 was collected until 02:46UT on 5 Jan 1998. Binary data stored in 'FCA' format has been collected since 9 Jan 1998. A section describing the Full Correlation Analysis (FCA) format is included in 'ATRAD Radar System Software Reference Manual' V1.0.

Currently data from 1994-2012 are available. These data are too large to be downloaded, and are available upon request to the Australian Antarctic Data Centre.

Use Constraints This data set conforms to the PICCCBY Attribution License
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

Please follow instructions listed in the citation reference provided at http://data.aad.gov.au/aadc/metadata/citation.cfm?entry_id=Davis_MF... when using these data.

Please also contact the investigator when using these data.

Ancillary Keywords

MFSA

Medium Frequency Spaced Array

Data Set Progress

COMPLETE

Originating Center

Australian Antarctic Division

Data Center

Australian Antarctic Data Centre, Australia

Data Center URL: http://data.aad.gov.au

Data Center Personnel
Name: DATA OFFICER AADC Phone: +61 3 6232 3244 Fax: +61 3 6232 3351 Email: metadata at aad.gov.au Contact Address: Australian Antarctic Division 203 Channel Highway City: Kingston Province or State: Tasmania Postal Code: 7050 Country: Australia

Distribution

Distribution Media: DVD

Distribution Size: 11.7 GB

Fees: free

Personnel

ROBERT A. VINCENT

Role: INVESTIGATOR

Phone: +61 8 8303 6125

Email: rvincent at physics.adelaide.edu.au

Contact Address:

University of Adelaide

DAMIAN J. MURPHY

Role: TECHNICAL CONTACT

Phone: +61 3 6232 3359

Fax: +61 3 6232 3496

Email: damian.murphy at aad.gov.au

Contact Address:

203 Channel Highway

Australian Antarctic Division

City: Kingston

Province or State: Tasmania

Postal Code: 7050

Country: Australia

DAVE CONNELL

Role: DIF AUTHOR

Phone: +61 3 6232 3244

Fax: +61 3 6232 3351

Email: dave.connell at aad.gov.au

Contact Address:

Australian Antarctic Division

203 Channel Highway

City: Kingston

Province or State: Tasmania

Postal Code: 7050

Country: Australia

Publications/References

Baumgaertner, A.J.G., McDonald, A.J., Hibbens, R.E., Fritts, D.C., Murphy, D.J., Vincent, R.A. (2008), Short-period planetary waves in the Antarctic middle atmosphere, Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, 70, 1336-1350

Extended Metadata Properties

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Creation and Review Dates

DIF Creation Date: 1999-10-07

Last DIF Revision Date: 2013-03-25

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