Ruth S. Lieberman

Climatology of the semiannual oscillation of the tropical middle atmosphere

We have used a variety of satellite, ground-based, and in situ observations to construct a climatology of the semiannual oscillation (SAO) of the tropical middle atmosphere. The sources of data include rocketsonde observations of winds and temperature, MF radar wind observations, and observations of winds and temperatures made from space by the High Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI) and the Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME). These data sets provide a generally consistent picture of the SAO, of the relationship between its stratospheric and mesospheric manifestations, and of its apparent modulation by the stratospheric quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO). In agreement with earlier studies, we find that the first cycle of the stratospheric SAO (which begins with the stratopause easterly phase in northern winter) is stronger than the second cycle (beginning with the easterly phase in southern winter). Similar behavior is apparent in the mesosphere, where the easterly phase is stronger during the first cycle than during the second cycle. HRDI and MF radar are capable of observing the seasonal cycle well into the lower thermosphere. Data from these two sources indicate that a strong SAO is present up to about 90 km, giving way above this altitude to time mean easterly winds with a weak semiannual variation. Between 105 and 110 km, HRDI data indicate the presence of a westerly wind layer with almost no seasonal variation. Apparent modulation of the stratospheric SAO by the QBO is found in rocketsonde data, while HRDI and MF radar observations suggest a correlation between the QBO and the easterly phase of the mesospheric SAO. We discuss the implications of these observations for the wave processes that drive the SAO.

Observations of the quasi 2‐day wave from the High Resolution Doppler Imager on Uars

A strong westward traveling oscillation, with a period of 2 days and zonal wave number 3, is observed in the mesospheric and lower thermospheric winds from the High Resolution Doppler Imager on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite. The important events happen in January, July, and September/October, of which the occurrence in January is the strongest with an amplitude over 60ms−1. Detailed analyses for the periods of January 1992 and January 1993 reveal a cause-and-effect relationship in the wave developing process at 95km. The global structures of the wave amplitude and phase are also presented.

Nonmigrating Diurnal Tides in Mesospheric and Lower-Thermospheric Winds and Temperatures

Abstract This paper presents analyses of nonmigrating diurnal tide signatures in High Resolution Doppler Imager mesospheric and lower-thermospheric winds and temperatures. A global comparison of both winds and temperature reveals equatorial features corresponding to nonmigrating tides. Structures interpreted as zonal mean and eastward nonmigrating diurnal tides display consistency between horizontal winds and temperatures. The second symmetric mode is prominent in the zonal mean and wavenumber 1. The gravest antisymmetric mode and the gravest symmetric or Kelvin mode are the main features in zonal wavenumbers 2 and 3. The amplitudes of the tides generally increase with altitude and maximize within 90–110 km.

Large-Scale Waves in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere Observed by SABER

Observations made by the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument on board NASA’s Thermosphere–Ionosphere–Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite have been processed using Salby’s fast Fourier synoptic mapping (FFSM) algorithm. The mapped data provide a first synoptic look at the mean structure and traveling waves of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) since the launch of the TIMED satellite in December 2001. The results show the presence of various wave modes in the MLT, which reach largest amplitude above the mesopause and include Kelvin and Rossby–gravity waves, eastward-propagating diurnal oscillations (“non-sunsynchronous tides”), and a set of quasi-normal modes associated with the so-called 2-day wave. The latter exhibits marked seasonal variability, attaining large amplitudes during the solstices and all but disappearing at the equinoxes. SABER data also show a strong quasi-stationary Rossby wave signal throughout the middle atmosphere of the winter hemisphere; the signal extends into the Tropics and even into the summer hemisphere in the MLT, suggesting ducting by westerly background zonal winds. At certain times of the year, the 5-day Rossby normal mode and the 4-day wave associated with instability of the polar night jet are also prominent in SABER data.

Nonmigrating Diurnal Tides in the Equatorial Middle Atmosphere

Abstract Data from the Nimbus-7 Limb Infrared Monitor of the Stratosphere (LIMS) are used to extend the analysis of diurnal tides in the middle atmosphere to include the zonally symmetric and eastward propagating components. These modes show vertical and meridional structures that are generally consistent with the predictions of linear tidal theory. The zonal and meridional wind fields are calculated from the tidal temperatures. Diurnal perturbations in LIMS temperature and derived winds agree well with equinoctial model calculations. Comparisons with day–night differences of radiosonde temperature and rocket winds show qualitative agreement in vertical structure and amplitude. The zonally symmetric and eastward migrating tidal components show a higher degree of temporal variability than the sun-synchronous component. These modes at times contribute substantially to the diurnal signal in wind and temperature, with combined amplitudes equal to or in excess of the amplitude of the main migrating diurnal tid...

Measurements of stratospheric winds by the high resolution Doppler imager

The high resolution Doppler imager (HRDI) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) determines winds in the stratosphere (10–40 km) by measuring the Doppler shift of the rotational lines in the O2 atmospheric B and γ bands. These lines are observed as absorption features in scattered sunlight. The Doppler shifts are found by fitting the observed high-resolution spectrum to a single-scattering model. The model includes effects due to scattering from clouds and the ground. Results are compared to radiosonde measurements and the standard deviation between the two measurement systems is found to be between 8 m/s and 12 m/s. This standard deviation includes the errors in both measurement systems as well as geophysical noise due to the different sampling times, sampling locations, and sampling volumes. Monthly averages of HRDI stratospheric winds near the equator are examined from December 1991 to April 1995. These averages reveal the three-dimensional structure of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) and its evolution through one full cycle. In particular, we note that the QBO extends over a wide latitude and altitude range and that the easterly and westerly descent rates are similar above 25 km. HRDI measurements show that there is strong meridional shear in the zonal winds above 35 km during the solstices, indicating that inertial instability may play a role in the dynamics of the upper stratosphere. The HRDI wind measurements also show that there is a significant annual cycle in the tropics and that there is substantial interannual variability in the semiannual oscillation in the upper stratosphere.

The Deep Propagating Gravity Wave Experiment (DEEPWAVE): An Airborne and Ground-Based Exploration of Gravity Wave Propagation and Effects from Their Sources throughout the Lower and Middle Atmosphere

AbstractThe Deep Propagating Gravity Wave Experiment (DEEPWAVE) was designed to quantify gravity wave (GW) dynamics and effects from orographic and other sources to regions of dissipation at high altitudes. The core DEEPWAVE field phase took place from May through July 2014 using a comprehensive suite of airborne and ground-based instruments providing measurements from Earth’s surface to ∼100 km. Austral winter was chosen to observe deep GW propagation to high altitudes. DEEPWAVE was based on South Island, New Zealand, to provide access to the New Zealand and Tasmanian “hotspots” of GW activity and additional GW sources over the Southern Ocean and Tasman Sea. To observe GWs up to ∼100 km, DEEPWAVE utilized three new instruments built specifically for the National Science Foundation (NSF)/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Gulfstream V (GV): a Rayleigh lidar, a sodium resonance lidar, and an advanced mesosphere temperature mapper. These measurements were supplemented by in situ probes, dropson...

High resolution Doppler imager observations of Kelvin waves in the equatorial mesosphere and lower thermosphere

The behavior of Kelvin waves in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere is examined in three 10-day sequences of high resolution Doppler imager mesospheric and lower thermospheric zonal winds at solstice. Eastward propagating signatures are observed in wavenumbers 1, 2, and 3 of the zonal wind field with periods near 3 and 5 days. These structures are coherent in latitude and altitude, and maximize near or on the equator. In the mesosphere, lines of constant phase move downward in time, implying that these waves are forced from below. Above 90 km the phase lines of Kelvin zonal wavenumbers 2 and 3 traverse upward in time, suggesting in situ or higher-level sources. Estimates of the Eliassen-Palm fluxes indicate that wavenumber 1 may significantly contribute to the eastward momentum budget of the equatorial lower thermosphere.

Eliassen–Palm Fluxes of the 2-Day Wave

Abstract High-Resolution Doppler Imager (HRDI) winds and temperatures are used to diagnose a 2-day wave event detected in the Southern Hemisphere during January 1994. A novel aspect of this study is the focus upon the wave fluxes throughout the 65–100-km range, and their relationship to the background state. A wave “packet” composed of zonal wavenumbers 2, 3, and 4 propagates westward with a phase speed near 60 m s−1. The periods associated with zonal wavenumbers 2, 3, and 4 are 3.5, 2.1, and 1.7 days, respectively. The morphology of the 2-day temperature and wind fields is consistent with that of a developing baroclinic wave. The divergence of the Eliassen–Palm flux of zonal wavenumbers 2–4 is dominated by the vertical convergence of meridional heat flux. The wave driving (or Eliassen–Palm flux divergence per unit mass) is predominantly westward, with magnitudes on the order of 5 m s−1 day−1. A steady-state quasigeostrophic model of the mean meridionaI circulation is used to estimate the mean wind respon...

An estimate of the momentum deposition in the lower thermosphere by the observed diurnal tide

Abstract This paper reports a calculation of the acceleration of the zonal mean flow induced by dissipating tides in the equatorial lower thermosphere. Estimates of the gravest symmetric gravitational Hough mode (1,1) of the migrating diurnal tide are obtained from monthly composites of global winds observed by the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite High Resolution Doppler Imager. Using the principles of classical tidal theory, the tidal momentum flux divergence is computed for a series of monthly mean (1,1) fields from January 1992 to May 1993. The contribution to the mean flow by the leading mode of the migrating tide ranges between −5 and −20 (easterly) m s−1 day−1 in the equatorial lower thermosphere. A semiannual variation is noted in the tidal amplitudes and the inferred tidal accelerations. These variations are consistent with observed trends in the zonal mean flow of the lower thermosphere.