AGU Conference Presentation Outline and Video
December 11, 2007

AIM SATELLITE REVEALS UNPRECEDENTED VIEW OF MYSTERIOUS "NIGHT-SHINING" CLOUDS
Results and Conclusions from the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) Mission’s First Global-Scale, Full-Season View of Polar Mesospheric Clouds

Presenter:
Dr. James M. Russell III,
AIM Principal Investigator,
Hampton University

The AIM goal is to determine why Noctilucent Clouds form and vary.


Photo Credit: Tom Eklund, July 28, 2001, Valkeakoski, Finland

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Item No. 1: Noctilucent Cloud Sightings
Item No. 2: What is a Noctilucent Cloud?

PMC brightness trends over the last 27 years

Credit: PMC trends from analysis of SBUV satellite data performed by DeLand, Shettle, Thomas, and Olivero (JGR, vol. 112, D10315, 2007)

The AIM Suite of Instruments

CIPS

SOFIE

CDE

The AIM satellite has three scientific instruments on board: the Cloud Imaging and Particle Size Experiment (CIPS), a four-camera system that will study cloud morphology; the Solar Occultation for Ice Experiment (SOFIE) that will measure the clouds and temperature and constituents involved in their formation; and the Cosmic Dust Experiment (CDE) that will measure one possible source of particles needed for cloud formation.

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Item No. 3: Tour of the AIM Instruments

AIM Observes Ice Layer Not Previously Detected

The first season of AIM data shows that Polar Mesospheric Clouds exist in a much broader altitude layer than was believed to be the case before AIM was launched.

Before AIM - Ice layer was expected to exist in a narrow altitude range centered around 52 miles

After AIM - Ice exists in one continuous layer extending from 49 to ~ 56 miles altitude

High SOFIE sensitivity allows subvisible ice to be measured. This was suspected from radar echos, but never observed before AIM.

Presenter:
Dr. Scott M. Bailey,
AIM Deputy Principal Investigator,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

PMC Seasonal Variability

View Movie
Item No. 1: Full 2007 Season of North Polar Mesospheric Clouds

Presenter:
Dr. Gary E. Thomas,
AIM Co-Investigator
University of Colorado

“Ice Rings” from CIPS

Convective outflow boundaries off the coast of Cuba:

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Item No. 2: Cloud Rings off the Coast of Cuba

A series of low-level convective outflow boundaries was seen moving off the coast of Cuba on June 8, 2007 in GOES-12 visible imagery.