Towards a better constraining of UTLS dynamics using ESA Aeolus Wind Profiling

International audienceThe European Space Agency's Aeolus satellite mission is designed to provide global information on the wind speed from the ground up to 30 km, which is highly demanded for weather forecasting. Aeolus satellite has been set into orbit in August 2018 and its payload consists of a sophisticated ALADIN lidar instrument measuring wind velocity by sensing Doppler spectral shift of the laser echo scattered by the different layers of the atmosphere. Since the global atmospheric circulation is largely driven by middle atmosphere dynamics, it is essential that the climate models take a proper account for the dynamical processes. One type of small-scale atmospheric waves, called internal gravity waves (IGWs) pose a particular challenge for models, whereas inaccurate parameterization of IGWs can dramatically bias the predictions of future atmospheric circulation changes. In this paper, we explore the capacities of Aeolus wind observations in capturing and resolving dynamical processes in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) such as IGWs at various temporal and spatial scales. This study also includes an overview of the various instrumental and retrieval issues affecting the ALADIN wind data quality. The perturbations in the vertical profiles of Rayleigh horizontal line-of-sight (HLOS) wind velocity, associated with IGW activity, are derived by subtracting the Aeolus-derived "background" wind profiles from the individual measurements. Then, the global distribution of the IGW kinetic energy in the UTLS and vertical wavelength is computed using Aeolus measurements over the entire mission lifespan. The derived variation of IGW activity over the Aeolus mission lifetime is analyzed in consideration of the time-varying performance of ALADIN instrument. The latter is quantified using two French ground-based Doppler wind lidars operating at a mid-latitude site (Observatoire de Haute-Provence) and at a southern tropical site (Maïdo Observatory at la Réunion island) as well as meteorological radiosoundings collocated with satellite overpasses. These comparisons helped identify recurring perturbations in the Aeolus wind profiles signal through their frequency analysis. Taking into account these perturbations and the evolution of the instrument's performance allows for the improvement of the IGW analysis. The global spatiotemporal distribution of IGW from Aeolus observations is compared with that derived from global high-resolution temperature profiling data provided by GPS radio occultation (RO) instruments operating onboard MetOp and COSMIC-2 satellite constellations. The comparison of Aeolus and RO-derived global IGW distribution allows concluding on the capacities and limitations of Aeolus wind profiling for studying UTLS dynamic