Chiao-Yao She

Bio: Chiao-Yao She is an academic researcher from Colorado State University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Lidar & Mesopause. The author has an hindex of 30, co-authored 90 publications receiving 3082 citations.

An empirical model of the Earth's horizontal wind fields: HWM07

Abstract: [1] The new Horizontal Wind Model (HWM07) provides a statistical representation of the horizontal wind fields of the Earth's atmosphere from the ground to the exosphere (0–500 km). It represents over 50 years of satellite, rocket, and ground-based wind measurements via a compact Fortran 90 subroutine. The computer model is a function of geographic location, altitude, day of the year, solar local time, and geomagnetic activity. It includes representations of the zonal mean circulation, stationary planetary waves, migrating tides, and the seasonal modulation thereof. HWM07 is composed of two components, a quiet time component for the background state described in this paper and a geomagnetic storm time component (DWM07) described in a companion paper.

Review of mesospheric temperature trends

Abstract: In recent times it has become increasingly clear that releases of trace gases from human activity have a potential for causing change in the upper atmosphere. However, our knowledge of systematic changes and trends in the temperature of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere is relatively limited compared to the Earths lower atmosphere, and not much effort has been made to synthesize these results so far. In this article, a comprehensive review of long-term trends in the temperature of the region from 50 to 100 km is made on the basis of the available up-to-date understanding of measurements and model calculations. An objective evaluation of the available data sets is attempted, and important uncertainly factors are discussed. Some natural variability factors, which are likely to play a role in modulating temperature trends, are also briefly touched upon. There are a growing number of experimental results centered on, or consistent with, zero temperature trend in the mesopause region (80–100 km). The most reliable data sets show no significant trend but an uncertainty of at least 2 K/decade. On the other hand, a majority of studies indicate negative trends in the lower and middle mesosphere with an amplitude of a few degrees (2–3 K) per decade. In tropical latitudes the cooling trend increases in the upper mesosphere. The most recent general circulation models indicate increased cooling closer to both poles in the middle mesosphere and a decrease in cooling toward the summer pole in the upper mesosphere. Quantitatively, the simulated cooling trend in the middle mesosphere produced only by CO 2 increase is usually below the observed level. However, including other greenhouse gases and taking into account a “thermal shrinking” of the upper atmosphere result in a cooling of a few degrees per decade. This is close to the lower limit of the observed nonzero trends. In the mesopause region, recent model simulations produce trends, usually below 1 K/decade, that appear to be consistent with most observations in this region

High spectral resolution lidar system with atomic blocking filters for measuring atmospheric parameters.

Abstract: A new lidar technique for measuring the profiles of backscatter ratio, atmospheric visibility, and atmospheric temperature is proposed. Based on the theory of high resolution Rayleigh/Mie scattering, the feasibility and advantages of using atomic vapor cells as blocking filters for measuring atmospheric parameters are demonstrated with a numerical example worked out in detail. Ten percent accuracy in determining backscatter ratio and visibility can be achieved easily. With a SNR of 300, temperature of 1 K accuracy can be measured directly along with the backscatter ratio to a better accuracy of ±1%. Using a large lidar system and assuming 50-km visibility, the proposed technique can be applied to measure backscatter ratio and temperature profiles simultaneously for a 10-km path with 30-m depth resolution in 3 min. With higher SNR the atmospheric pressure profile can also be determined.

Concentric gravity waves in the mesosphere generated by deep convective plumes in the lower atmosphere near Fort Collins, Colorado

Abstract: [1] Gravity waves in the mesopause region (80–105 km) may induce perturbations in OH Meinal Band emissions at ∼87 km. These perturbations can be observed by ground-based OH airglow imagers. In this paper, we present observations of concentric gravity waves (CGW) by the all-sky OH imager at Yucca Ridge Field Station (40.7°N, 104.9°W) near Fort Collins, Colorado. We find that expanding rings of concentric gravity waves were observed on 9 out of 723 clear nights from 2003 to 2008. In particular, on 11 May 2004, concentric rings were observed for ∼1.5 h, with nearly perfect circular rings entirely in the field of view during the first 30 min. The centers of the concentric rings occurred at the geographic locations of two strong convective plumes which were active in the troposphere ∼1 h earlier. We measured the horizontal wavelengths and periods of these gravity waves as functions of both radius and time. These results agreed reasonably well with the internal Boussinesq gravity wave dispersion relation with an assumed zero background wind. Similarly, for the other 8 cases, strong convective plumes occurred prior to the CGW observations near the apparent center of each of the arcs or rings. For the 7 out of the 9 cases, radiosonde data were available up to z = 30–35 km. These data showed that the wind speeds from the tropopause to ∼30–35 km were smaller than ∼20–30 m/s. Because 8 of the 9 cases occurred when the total horizontal mean winds were weak and because the horizontal winds below ∼87 km were less than ∼20 m/s on 11 May 2004 (according to radiosonde and TIME-GCM model data), we postulate that weak background horizontal winds are likely a necessary condition for gravity waves excited from convective overshooting to be observed as concentric arcs or rings in the OH layer.

Climatology of mesopause region temperature, zonal wind, and meridional wind over Fort Collins, Colorado (41°N, 105­°W), and comparison with model simulations

Abstract: [1] Between May 2002 and April 2006, many continuous observations of mesopause region temperature and horizontal wind, each lasting longer than 24 h (termed full-diurnal-cycle observations), were completed at the Colorado State University Na Lidar Facility in Fort Collins, Colorado (41°N, 105°W). The combined data set consists of 120 full-diurnal-cycle observations binned on a monthly basis, with a minimum of 7 cycles in April and a maximum of 18 cycles in August. Each monthly data set was analyzed to deduce mean values and tidal period perturbations. After removal of tidal signals, monthly mean values are used for the study of seasonal variations in mesopause region temperature, zonal and meridional winds. The results are in qualitative agreement with our current understanding of mean temperature and wind structures in the midlatitude mesopause region with an observed summer mesopause of 167 K at 84 km, summer peak eastward zonal wind of 48 m/s at 94 km, winter zonal wind reversal at ∼95 km, and peak summer (pole) to winter (pole) meridional flow of 17 m/s at 86 km. The observed mean state in temperature, zonal and meridional winds are compared with the predictions of three current general circulation models, i.e., the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model version 3 (WACCM3) with two different simulations of gravity wavefields, the Hamburg Model of the Neutral and Ionized Atmosphere (HAMMONIA), and the 2003 simulation of the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIME-GCM). While general agreement is found between observation and model predictions, there exist discrepancies between model prediction and observation, as well as among predictions from different models. Specifically, the predicted summer mesopause altitude is lower by 3 km, 8 km, 3 km, and 1 km for WACCM3 the two WACCM runs, HAMMONIA, and TIME-GCM, respectively, and the corresponding temperatures are 169 K, 170 K, 158 K, and 161 K. The model predicted summer eastward zonal wind peaks to 71 m/s at 102 km, to 48 m/s at 84 km, to 75 m/s at 93 km, and to 29 m/s at 94 km, in the same order. The altitude of the winter zonal wind reversal and seasonal asymmetry of the pole-to-pole meridional flow are also compared, and the importance of full-diurnal-cycle observations for the determination of mean states is discussed.

Simulation of secular trends in the middle atmosphere, 1950–2003

Abstract: [1] We have used the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model to produce a small (three-member) ensemble of simulations of the period 1950–2003. Comparison of model results against available observations shows that for the most part, the model is able to reproduce well the observed trends in zonal mean temperature and ozone, both as regards their magnitude and their distribution in latitude and altitude. Calculated trends in water vapor, on the other hand, are not at all consistent with observations from either the HALOE satellite instrument or the Boulder, Colorado, hygrosonde data set. We show that such lack of agreement is actually to be expected because water vapor has various sources of low-frequency variability (heating due to volcanic eruptions, the quasi-biennial oscillation and El Nino–Southern Oscillation) that can confound the determination of secular trends. The simulations also reveal the presence of other interesting behavior, such as the lack of any significant temperature trend near the mesopause, a decrease in the stratospheric age of air, and the rare occurrence of an extremely disturbed Southern Hemisphere winter.

Laser Rayleigh scattering

Abstract: Rayleigh scattering is a powerful diagnostic tool for the study of gases and is particularly useful for aiding in the understanding of complex flow fields and combustion phenomena. Although the mechanism associated with the scattering, induced electric dipole radiation, is conceptually straightforward, the features of the scattering are complex because of the anisotropy of molecules, collective scattering from many molecules and inelastic scattering associated with rotational and vibrational transitions. These effects cause the scattered signal to be depolarized and to have spectral features that reflect the pressure, temperature and internal energy states of the gas. The very small scattering cross section makes molecular Rayleigh scattering particularly susceptible to background interference. Scattering from very small particles also falls into the Rayleigh range and may dominate the scattering from molecules if the particle density is high. This particle scattering can be used to enhance flow visualization and velocity measurements, or it may be removed by spectral filtering. New approaches to spectral filtering are now being applied to both Rayleigh molecular scattering and Rayleigh particle scattering to extract quantitative information about complex gas flow fields. This paper outlines the classical properties of Rayleigh scattering and reviews some of the new advances in flow field imaging that have been achieved using the new filter approaches.

An update to the Horizontal Wind Model (HWM): The quiet time thermosphere

Abstract: The Horizontal Wind Model (HWM) has been updated in the thermosphere with new observations and formulation changes. These new data are ground-based 630 nm Fabry-Perot Interferometer (FPI) measurements in the equatorial and polar regions, as well as cross-track winds from the Gravity Field and Steady State Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite. The GOCE wind observations provide valuable wind data in the twilight regions. The ground-based FPI measurements fill latitudinal data gaps in the prior observational database. Construction of this reference model also provides the opportunity to compare these new measurements. The resulting update (HWM14) provides an improved time-dependent, observationally based, global empirical specification of the upper atmospheric general circulation patterns and migrating tides. In basic agreement with existing accepted theoretical knowledge of the thermosphere general circulation, additional calculations indicate that the empirical wind specifications are self-consistent with climatological ionosphere plasma distribution and electric field patterns.