POLAR MESOSPHERIC CLOUD RESEARCH

Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs), also known as noctilucent clouds (NLCs), form near 82 km at high latitudes during summer in both hemispheres when temperatures at these high altitudes reach extremely low values - perhaps 100K and lower. Because of their high altitude and tenuous nature these clouds are visible only during twilight hours and have a beautiful mother of pearl coloration. Interest in PMCs has renewed in recent years because of their potential for being forecasters of global climate change. GATS is at the forefront of PMC research, doing data analysis, creating educational programs, and helping to build new and innovative instruments to measure PMCs.

For example, we analyzed HALOE data and created the figure to the right that shows the wavelength dependency of the extinction coefficient for PMCs. This analysis proved that PMCs are indeed composed of water ice.