Comparison of meteor and medium frequency radar kilometer scale MLT dynamics at 70°N

Kinetic energy dissipation rates for the auroral MLT have been obtained from the Tromsø middle frequency radar (MFR) and compared with simultaneous measurements of neutral wind-shears obtained from the Nippon/Norway Tromsø meteor radar (NTMR). Since wind-shears can drive dynamic instabilities which in turn result in turbulent dissipation of kinetic energy, we would expect these parameters to be correlated, and this is indeed the case. Having established this correlation we quantitatively combine the results from each radar to estimate the turbulent diffusion coefficient for momentum; considering the tentative nature of this approach, we find the agreement with previous estimates to be surprisingly good.