D region meteoric smoke and neutral temperature retrieval using the poker flat incoherent scatter radar

Abstract

This brief note describes the first measurement of the microphysical properties and variability of meteoric smoke particles (MSPs) at high latitude using the Poker Flat ISR (65.1°N, 147.5°W). We present a novel technique for determining height resolved daytime D region neutral temperatures, which takes into account the presence of charged dust. We discuss the temporal/spatial variability and the relation to meteoric input observed and MSP microphysical properties in the polar mesopause region. The derived nanometer sized MSPs are consistent with size profiles derived previously using radar/rocket techniques and we note that our results imply a lack of heavy cluster ions below 85 km during the observing period. This provides a template for potential use at many other radar sites for the determination of microphysical properties of MSPs and day-time neutral temperature in the D region that show good general agreement with model and satellite temperature data during the observing period.