Observed diurnal and seasonal behavior of the micrometeor flux using the Arecibo and Jicamarca radars

Abstract

In this paper, we present results from meteor head-echo observations using the 430 MHz dual beam Arecibo radar in Puerto Rico and the 50 MHz Jicamarca radar in Peru. We show that the seasonal behavior reflected in the fast component of the micrometeor velocity distributions measured at Arecibo can be well explained by a micrometeor radiant distribution centered at the Earth’s apex as measured by Jicamarca Radio Observatory (JRO). We conclude that these radars, as probably every other high power and large aperture radar, detect this micrometeor population that show good agreement with the so-called South and North Apex sources reported by Jones and Brown [1993. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society]. However, these radars do not seem to detect particles from any other source reported by those authors. We also showed that in order to explain the diurnal and seasonal behavior of the meteor rate detected at Arecibo, based on the results determined by the Jicamarca radar, a strong atmospheric filtering effect must exist. This effect is produced by the early and higher ablation of micrometeors, which enter the atmosphere a low elevation angles, probably reaching high temperature at higher altitudes and depositing some or all their material before they penetrate deep into the Mesosphere/Lower Thermosphere region. These results explain at some level the missing mass inconsistency raised by the comparison of meteor fluxes derived from satellite and traditional meteor radar observations. They also may be the source of the observed high altitude ions and metallic layers observed by radars and lidars, respectively.