Quantifying Kelvin-Helmholtz instability dynamics observed in noctilucent clouds: 1. Methods and observations

Noctilucent clouds (NLCs) have been imaged during two nights in summer 2009 from northern Germany (Kühlungsborn, 54°N) and middle Norway (Trondheim, 64°N). For the first time a horizontal resolution of 10 to 20 m at the altitude of the clouds (about 83 km) and a temporal resolution of about 1 s was achieved. Additional imaging using a coarser resolution provided monitoring of the larger‐scale (~100 km) structures observed in the clouds. Two series of NLC images are described that reveal apparent Kelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) billow structures having very different morphologies and apparent transitions to turbulence and mixing. One series exhibits deep KH billows and apparent secondary instabilities in the billow exteriors having streamwise alignment (and spanwise wave number), suggesting a small initial Richardson number (Ri). A second series of images suggests a larger and less unstable Ri, a slower KH billow evolution, shallower billows, and turbulence and mixing confined to the billow cores. We suggest that systematic exploration of these dynamics employing NLC imaging may enable characterization and quantification of KH instability occurrence statistics and of their contributions to turbulence and mixing in the summer mesopause environment with unique sensitivity to their small‐scale dynamics. Key Points Imaging of noctilucent clouds reveals small‐scale dynamics (~20 m, ~1 s)Widespread signatures of gravity waves and instabilities in the summer MLTCombining observations and modeling allows assessing the turbulent viscosity