Mesosphere Study by Wide-Field Twilight Polarization Measurements: First Results beyond the Polar Circle

TL;DR

This study presents initial twilight polarization measurements of the mesosphere in the polar region, revealing temperature profiles and dust absence during winter and early spring, using a novel all-sky camera setup.

Contribution

It is the first to perform twilight polarization measurements in the polar region during winter and spring, providing new insights into mesosphere conditions.

Findings

Boltzmann temperature decrease above 70 km

Absence of mesosphere dust during winter-spring

First polarization measurements in polar region during winter

Abstract

The paper describes the observations and first results of studying the mesosphere temperature and dust based on twilight wide-field polarization analysis using original all-sky camera started in 2015 in Apatity, northern Russia (67.6 deg N, 33.4 deg E). It is the first twilight polarization measurements session conducted in the polar region and the first measurements during the winter and early spring season. The general polarization properties of twilight sky and the separation procedure of single scattering are described. The Boltzmann temperature decrease above 70 km and lack of mesosphere dust that is typical for this season are the key results of the study.