Tuesday 26 May 2015

PMSE Season Begins

Yes folks, here's the latest plot from Aberystwyth's MST radar, showing extremely strong returns from PMSE up at mesopause heights.



PMSE have a certain, usually weak correspondence with Es and noctilucent clouds.  However, there clearly is some form of relationship in that all these phenomena include charged, metallic nuclei, showing strong seasonality.  Unlike NLC, PMSE can occur strongly during the winter months, so tend to be more like Es in that regard.

Unfortunately, because of the narrow area falling under the radar's gaze, it's often impossible to relate the presence of PMSE to good Es conditions.

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