Solar and lunar tides in noctilucent clouds as determined by ground-based lidar

Abstract

Abstract. Noctilucent clouds (NLCs) occur during summer from midlatitudes to high latitudes. They consist of nanometer-sized ice particles in an altitude range from 80 to 90 km and are sensitive to ambient temperature and water vapor content, which makes them a suitable tracer for variability on all timescales. The data set acquired by the ALOMAR Rayleigh–Mie–Raman (RMR) lidar covers 21 years and is investigated regarding tidal signatures in NLCs. For the first time solar and lunar tidal parameters in NLCs were determined simultaneously from the same data. Several NLC parameters are subject to persistent mean variations throughout the solar day as well as the lunar day. Variations with lunar time are generally smaller compared to variations with solar time. NLC occurrence frequency shows the most robust imprint of the lunar semidiurnal tide. Its amplitude is about 50 % of the solar semidiurnal tide, which is surprisingly large. Phase progressions of NLC occurrence frequency indicate upward propagating solar tides. Below 84 km altitude the corresponding vertical wavelengths are between 20 and 30 km. For the lunar semidiurnal tide phase progressions vary symmetrically with respect to the maximum of the NLC layer.