Utilization of a tropospheric-stratospheric lidar system to study mountain induced gravity waves over jenny jump state forest

Gravity waves are a dominant driver of the middle and lower atmospheric circulation. Yet such waves have been difficult to study due to their inherent small spatial and temporal scales and synoptic occurrence, and thus require advanced experimental systems. In this thesis first results are presented from a newly constructed tropospheric-stratospheric lidar operating at the New Jersey Institute of Technology-United Astronomy Clubs of New Jersey site in Jenny Jump State Forest in northwest New Jersey. The system utilizes a 4-W 532-nm Nd:YAG laser transmitter and a 4-inch telescope receiver to collect backscattered photons from the lower atmosphere in order to observe gravity wave structure in the troposphere and stratosphere. Advances in the optics design and receiver mount have improved the alignment and operation of the system. Relative density perturbation calculations show reflecting wave structure during the July 3, 2012 campaign above 10-km, and hint at the complexity of gravity wave reflections between the stratosphere and the ground.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Applied Physics - (M.S.)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Physics

Year

2012

Author dc:creator

• Teti, Anthony

Contributors dc:contributor

• Andrew Gerrard
• Dale E. Gary
• John Francis Federici

• Tropospheric-stratospheric lidar system
• Mountain induced gravity waves
• Other Physics

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses/145

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.njit.edu:theses-1144