From: Ulf von Zahn and W. Singer, Kuehlungsborn, Germany
Leibniz-Institut for Atmospheric Physics
Date: Sat, 18 Nov 2000 20:15:46 +0100


Report on Leonid observations by a meteor radar:

The Leibniz-Institute for Atmospheric Physics (IAP) operates a meteor radar
at Juliusruh (55N, 13E). If for an early evaluation, we consider only echoes
from altitudes above 100 km (characteristic of Leonids), the radar gives us
the following results:

Nov 17: A period of about 1 hour length with significantly enhanced meteor
activity occured in the morning hours with an activity peak near 08:20 UT.

Nov 18: Periods of enhanced meteor rates occured between, say 00 and 06 UT
and between 07 and 09 UT.

The short-term meteor rates where highest during the Nov 17 morning peak,
next was todays O8 UT maximum and the lowest of the three (though longer
lasting) was the 03 UT maximum.


The timing of these three activity peaks agrees well with precdictions. The
relative levels of activity do not, though. Interesting!

---
Report on lidar and camera observations
of the Leibniz-Institute of Atmospheric Physics
during the Leonids-2000.

Site of Kuehlungsborn:

Here, we operated a cluster of Ca, Na, and Rayleigh lidars, and a CCD meteor
camera (all zenith pointing).

Night Nov 16/17:

All instruments operating from about 16 UT until 06 UT.
Clouds between about 19 and 21:50 UT. Clear sky otherwise.

The camera recorded 62 meteors, of these 10 were clearly identified Leonids.

The Na layer was broad and stronger than expected. We recorded a few Na
meteor trails.

The Ca layer developed an unusual sporadic layer, extremely narrow,
extremely intensive, but enduring! It started 00:34 UT at 92.5 km, reached
its maximum strength about 01:30 UT at 90 km, and was still at 90 km strong
and very narrow at 02:47 UT. For a meteor trail it lasted much too long, for
a sporadic layer it was rather low in altitude and still unusual narrow.

We recorded numerous Ca meteor trails. The strongest one occured 22:36:40 UT
at 89 km. It was accompanied by a simultaneous and common-volume Na trail. I
believe it is the first time, that we got this combination of a very
volatile and a refractory metal! The lidar recordings are preceded by a
spectacular camera meteor at 22:35:47 UT. The camera software identified
this meteor immediately as a southern Taurid. Thus we know very well its
total velocity (not only the horizontal component of it). Very nice for
modeling purposes.

There are at least three more cases in which lidar trails can be uniquely
correlated with camera trail information on meteor type and velocity. All
these data will hopefully beefed up by wind information derived from these
trails by our meteor radar (which also worked perfectly).

Night Nov 17/18: Totally clouded over (no optical obervations; lots of radar
observations, though)


Site Tenerife:

There we operated a K lidar (with the capability for daylight observations
of the K layer).

The instrument could perform atmospheric observations at least from Nov 16,
22 UT until Nov 17, 12 UT. It monitored the reactions of the K layer to the
Leonid showers and recorded a number of K meteor trails.

In summary: we got lots of intersting data to analyse.