This project will continue the operation of the Fabry.Perot interferometer that was installed at South Pole Station in early 1989. The instrument measures the temperature of the atmosphere and the winds in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MALT) region of the upper atmosphere. The instrument will be operated in conjunction with the University of Illinois sodium lidar that will be installed in January of 1990. Together they will give a complete picture of high altitude atmospheric dynamics at high latitude, and provide important information for the verification and subsequent modification of the thermospheric global circulation model that has been developed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. This project is an important component of the Coupling, Energetic and Dynamics through Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) initiative.
