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SCIENCE
GOAL
The
overall goal of the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) experiment is
to resolve why Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs) form and why they vary. By
measuring PMCs and the thermal, chemical and dynamical environment in which
they form, we will quantify the connection between these clouds and the
meteorology of the polar mesosphere. In the end, this will provide the basis
for study of longterm variability in the mesospheric climate and its relationship
to global change.
The results of AIM will be a rigorous validation of predictive
models that can reliably use past PMC changes and present
trends as indicators of global change. This goal will be achieved
by measuring PMC abundances, spatial distribution, particle
size distributions, gravity wave activity, cosmic dust influx
to the atmosphere and precise, vertical profile measurements
of temperature, H2O, OH, CH4, O3, CO2, NO, and aerosols. These
data can be obtained only by a complement of instruments on
an orbiting spacecraft because of the need for global coverage
and because extinction and foreground emissions compromise
optical sensing from the ground.
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