The MaCWAVE/MIDAS rocket and ground-based measurements of polar summer dynamics: Overview and mean state structure

The MaCWAVE/MIDAS collaborative rocket and ground‐based measurement programs were performed at the Andøya Rocket Range and the nearby ALOMAR observatory in northern Norway during July 2002. The summer component of the MaCWAVE (Mountain and Convective Waves Ascending Vertically) program was focused on gravity wave propagation, instability, and wave‐wave and wave‐mean flow interaction dynamics contributing to summer mesopause structure and variability. The MIDAS (Middle Atmosphere Dynamics and Structure) program concentrated on small‐scale dynamical and microphysical processes near the summer mesopause. Our merged program yielded a comprehensive data set comprising two ∼12‐hour rocket salvoes, including 25 MET rockets and 5 sounding rockets, ground‐based lidar, radar, and balloon data, and coordinated overpasses of the TIMED satellite. This paper describes the measurement program and rationale, the mean state observed during the rocket salvoes, and evidence that the mean state structure during 2002 differed in important respects from previous years.