Giant Aperture Lidar Experiment at Starfire Optical Range, NM

The Giant Aperture Lidar Experiment (GALE) was conducted at the Starfire Optical Range (SOR) near Albuquerque, New Mexico from September 1994 to April 1995. During the experiment, our Na Wind/Temperature lidar was incorporated into the Air Force's 3.5 meter steerable telescope to simultaneously measure Na density, temperature, and wind in the mesopause region. By pointing the laser beam and the telescope off-zenith, we were also able to measure the horizontal wind.

The experiment was designed to measure high resolution wind and temperature to study the effect of gravity waves on thermal and dynamical balances in the mesopause region. Heat and momentum fluxes were derived from the measured wind and temperature.

With the support of the Air Force and the help of the weather, we obtained excellent data on 8 nights. Following are some slides taken during the campaign and some preliminary results.

Observed Wind & Temperature

Vertical Wave Number and Temporal Frequency Spectra

2 February, 1995

Campaign Summary

Heat Flux

OH Images

OH Image Spectra

Slides from SOR