Searching for Troposphere-Mesosphere Connections Using the ALO-USU Rayleigh-Scatter Lidar

The paucity of whole-atmosphere data introduces significant challenges that hinder the study of atmospheric couplings. The mesosphere in particular is a low-information void between the lower and upper atmosphere, which may prevent us from a complete realization of vertical interactions. The Rayleighscatter lidar at Utah State University’s Atmospheric Lidar Observatory (ALO-USU; 41.74° N, 111.81° W), operated with little interruption from 1993 to 2004, providing a valuable temporal and spatial (45 – 90 km) resource in this realm. When studied alongside a multitude of other atmospheric data sources, possible unforeseen connections or insights may result. In this study, an adaptive fit is applied to near-stratopause temperature data from the lidar and several assimilative models to identify simultaneous abnormal changes. A possible connection with tropospheric events is investigated as an example of future efforts that can be made to synthesize similar environmental figures where available