Waves in airglow structures experiment 2004: Overview and preliminary results Original Research Article

Overview and preliminary results of a coordinated rocket and ground-based measurement campaign, Waves in Airglow Structures Experiment 2004 (WAVE2004), are presented. The aim of the campaign is to understand the formation process of wavy structures in the airglow from both dynamical and chemical aspects. Na lidar was used to monitor the vertical structure of atmospheric waves continuously. Ground-based measurements operated from several days before the launch could detect various waves. The atomic oxygen density distribution found showed a single peak structure as usually expected instead of a double peak structure in the previous campaign.