Dr F. J. Mulligan
Associate Professor
Biography
Research Interests
Research interests
The upper atmosphere physics group at Maynooth is concerned with the physics of the atmosphere at altitudes between 80 and 250 km, with particular emphasis on the region known as the mesopause (80-100 km). The main aim of the work is to develop an improved understanding of the dynamics of the Earth’s atmosphere in this highly complex region. Minor constituents in the atmosphere can exert a much greater influence than might be expected from their prevalence alone, a point illustrated only too well by the twin atmospheric problems of global warming (increased concentrations of CO2 and CH4) and ozone depletion. One of the most interesting minor constituents in the atmosphere is the OH radical partly because it is such a reactive species. The chemical reaction that produces OH (H + O3 --> OH* + O2) plays a crucial role in the mesosphere, where it represents a significant fraction of the energy input there.
Studies at Maynooth are conducted on this emission through the use of ground-based spectroscopic measurements and satellite data. The main aim of the work is to develop an improved understanding of the diurnal and seasonal variations of the OH* emission as a function of latitude and local time.
More recent work has focused on tropospheric studies involving members of the ICARUS group and other groups in the US and Norway. The Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model developed originally by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) at Boulder Colorado is the main tool employed in this work.
The upper atmosphere physics group at Maynooth is concerned with the physics of the atmosphere at altitudes between 80 and 250 km, with particular emphasis on the region known as the mesopause (80-100 km). The main aim of the work is to develop an improved understanding of the dynamics of the Earth’s atmosphere in this highly complex region. Minor constituents in the atmosphere can exert a much greater influence than might be expected from their prevalence alone, a point illustrated only too well by the twin atmospheric problems of global warming (increased concentrations of CO2 and CH4) and ozone depletion. One of the most interesting minor constituents in the atmosphere is the OH radical partly because it is such a reactive species. The chemical reaction that produces OH (H + O3 --> OH* + O2) plays a crucial role in the mesosphere, where it represents a significant fraction of the energy input there.
Studies at Maynooth are conducted on this emission through the use of ground-based spectroscopic measurements and satellite data. The main aim of the work is to develop an improved understanding of the diurnal and seasonal variations of the OH* emission as a function of latitude and local time.
More recent work has focused on tropospheric studies involving members of the ICARUS group and other groups in the US and Norway. The Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model developed originally by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) at Boulder Colorado is the main tool employed in this work.
Peer Reviewed Journal
| Year | Publication | |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | S. Wüst, M. Bittner, P.J. Espy, W. John, R. French, F. J. Mulligan (2023) 'Hydroxyl airglow observations for investigating atmospheric dynamics: results and challenges'. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 23 :1599-1618. [Link] [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2020 | John French W.R.; Mulligan F.J.; Klekociuk A.R. (2020) 'Analysis of 24 years of mesopause region OH rotational temperature observations at Davis, Antarctica - Part 1: Long-term trends'. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 20 (11):6379-6394. [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2020 | French, WJR; Klekociuk, AR; Mulligan, FJ (2020) 'Analysis of 24 years of mesopause region OH rotational temperature observations at Davis, Antarctica - Part 2: Evidence of a quasi-quadrennial oscillation (QQO) in the polar mesosphere'. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 20 :8691-8708. [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2019 | Mooney, PA; Mulligan, FJ; Bruyere, CL; Parker, CL; Gill, DO (2019) 'Investigating the performance of coupled WRF-ROMS simulations of Hurricane Irene (2011) in a regional climate modeling framework'. Atmospheric Research, 215 :57-74. [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2017 | Mooney P.; Broderick C.; Bruyère C.; Mulligan F.; Prein A. (2017) 'Clustering of observed diurnal cycles of precipitation over the United States for evaluation of a WRF multiphysics regional climate ensemble'. Journal of Climate, 30 (22):9267-9286. [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2017 | Rourke S.; Mulligan F.; French W.; Murphy D. (2017) 'A Climatological Study of Short-Period Gravity Waves and Ripples at Davis Station, Antarctica (68°S, 78°E), During the (Austral Winter February–October) Period 1999–2013'. Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 122 (21):11,388-11,404. [DOI] | |
| 2016 | Mooney P.; Gill D.; Mulligan F.; Bruyère C. (2016) 'Hurricane simulation using different representations of atmosphere–ocean interaction: the case of Irene (2011)'. Atmospheric Science Letters, 17 (7):415-421. [DOI] | |
| 2016 | Mooney, P.A.; Mulligan, F.J.; Broderick, C. (2016) 'Diurnal cycle of precipitation over the British Isles in a 0.44° WRF multiphysics regional climate ensemble over the period 1990–1995'. Climate Dynamics, . [DOI] | |
| 2013 | Mooney, PA; Mulligan, FJ; Fealy, R (2013) 'Evaluation of the Sensitivity of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model to Parameterization Schemes for Regional Climates of Europe over the Period 1990-95'. Journal of Climate, 26 :1002-1017. [DOI] | |
| 2012 | Hall C.; Dyrland M.; Tsutsumi M.; Mulligan F. (2012) 'Temperature trends at 90 km over Svalbard, Norway (78N 16E), seen in one decade of meteor radar observations'. Journal of Geophysical Research, 117 (8). [DOI] | |
| 2011 | Milinevsky, G., C. Varotsos, F. Mulligan, and R. Lowe (Editors) (2011) 'Special Issue Atmospheric Studies by optical Methods. 36th Annual Meeting'. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF REMOTE SENSING, 32 . | |
| 2011 | Mooney, PA; Mulligan, FJ; Fealy, R (2011) 'Comparison of ERA-40, ERA-Interim and NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data with observed surface air temperatures over Ireland'. International Journal of Climatology, 31 :545-557. [DOI] [Full-Text] | |
| 2010 | French, WJR; Mulligan, FJ (2010) 'Stability of temperatures from TIMED/SABER v1.07 (2002-2009) and Aura/MLS v2.2 (2004-2009) compared with OH(6-2) temperatures observed at Davis Station, Antarctica'. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 10 :11439-11446. [DOI] | |
| 2010 | Dyrland M.; Hall C.; Mulligan F.; Tsutsumi M.; Sigernes F. (2010) 'Improved estimates for neutral air temperatures at 90 km and 78°N using satellite and meteor radar data'. Radio Science, 45 (4). [DOI] | |
| 2010 | Dyrland, ME; Mulligan, FJ; Hall, CM; Sigernes, F; Tsutsumi, M; Deehr, CS (2010) 'Response of OH airglow temperatures to neutral air dynamics at 78 degrees N, 16 degrees E during the anomalous 2003-2004 winter'. Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres, 115 . [DOI] | |
| 2009 | Mulligan, FJ; Dyrland, ME; Sigernes, F; Deehr, CS (2009) 'Inferring hydroxyl layer peak heights from ground-based measurements of OH(6-2) band integrated emission rate at Longyearbyen (78 degrees N, 16 degrees E)'. Annales Geophysicae, 27 :4197-4205. | |
| 2008 | Mulligan, FJ; Lowe, RP (2008) 'OH-equivalent temperatures derived from ACE-FTS and SABER temperature profiles - a comparison with OH*(3-1) temperatures from Maynooth (53.2 degrees N, 6.4 degrees W)'. Annales Geophysicae, 26 :795-811. | |
| 1998 | Mulligan, F. J. and J. J. Nallen (1998) 'A search for evidence of tidal activity in OH(3,1) airglow emissions at Maynooth (53.23°N, 6.35°W)'. Advances in Space Research, 21 :831-834. [Full-Text] | |
| 1995 | MULLIGAN, FJ; HORGAN, DF; GALLIGAN, JG; GRIFFIN, EM (1995) 'MESOPAUSE TEMPERATURES AND INTEGRATED BAND BRIGHTNESSES CALCULATED FROM AIRGLOW OH EMISSIONS RECORDED AT MAYNOOTH (53.2-DEGREES-N, 6.4-DEGREES-W) DURING 1993'. Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, 57 :1623-1637. | |
| 1995 | MULLIGAN, FJ; GALLIGAN, JM (1995) 'MESOPAUSE TEMPERATURES CALCULATED FROM THE O-2(A(1)DELTA(G)) TWILIGHT AIRGLOW EMISSION RECORDED AT MAYNOOTH (53.2-DEGREES-N, 6.4-DEGREES-W)'. Annales Geophysicae, 13 :558-566. | |
| 1994 | MULLIGAN, FJ; NICIEJEWSKI, RJ (1994) 'MAYNOOTH OPTICAL AERONOMICAL FACILITY'. Optical Engineering, 33 :3853-3860. | |
| 1993 | MULLIGAN, FJ; LUBELL, MS (1993) 'A HYBRID BEAM DESIGN FOR SLOW POSITRON TRANSPORT'. Measurement Science and Technology, 4 :197-203. | |
| 1992 | Mulligan F.J. (1992) 'An illustration of the method of finite differences in the solution of Laplace's equation'. European Journal of Physics, 13 :57-63. [Full-Text] | |
| 1990 | KEATING, JG; MULLIGAN, FJ; DOYLE, DB; WINSER, KJ; LOCKWOOD, M (1990) 'A STATISTICAL STUDY OF LARGE FIELD-ALIGNED FLOWS OF THERMAL IONS AT HIGH-LATITUDES'. Planetary and Space Science, 38 :1187-1201. [Full-Text] | |
| 1988 | CHAN, N; CROWE, DM; LUBELL, MS; TANG, FC; VASILAKIS, A; MULLIGAN, FJ; SLEVIN, J (1988) 'A POLARIZED ATOMIC-HYDROGEN BEAM'. Zeitschrift für Physik D-Atoms Molecules and Clusters, 10 :393-415. | |
| 1987 | Mulligan, F.J. (1987) 'Experimental statistics for undergraduates - revisited'. European Journal of Physics, 8 :53-57. [Full-Text] | |
| 1986 | MULLIGAN, FJ (1986) 'A NEW TECHNIQUE FOR THE REAL-TIME RECOVERY OF FABRY-PEROT LINE-PROFILES'. Journal of Physics E: Scientific Instruments, 19 :545-551. | |
| 1984 | Henry, M.O., K.A. Moloney, J Treacy, F.J. Mulligan and E.C. Lightowlers (1984) 'Uniaxial stress studies of the Be pair bound exciton absorption spectrum in silicon'. Journal of Physics. C. Solid State Physics, 17 :6245-6251. [DOI] [Full-Text] |
Certain data included herein are derived from the © Web of Science (2024) of Clarivate. All rights reserved.