Comprehensive measurements of temperature, winds, and gravity wave structure at two sites, Mt. Haleakala Hawaii and the Artic Lidar Observatory for Middle Atmosphere Research (ALOMAR) in Northern Norway, are used to quantify key parameters aspects of the momentum transfer between the middle and upper atmosphere. Emphasis is placed on quantification of the role of instabilities in gravity wave dynamics, quantification of momentum transport and deposition, and determinations of mean forcing by gravity waves in the two regions. The methodology includes operation of lidars, optical interferometers, imagers, and radars, with subsequent numerical modeling to permit quantification of the response to instability dynamics on gravity wave amplitudes, on the mean flow, and on the momentum flux. Observations at two sites, one polar and one equatorial reveal the adaptability of the methodology to regions of very disparate ambient, or mean-flow conditions that are modulated in part by weather.
