W. Yuan

Seasonal and quasi-biennial variations in the migrating diurnal tide observed by Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED)

We present periodic variations of the migrating diurnal tide from Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics and Dynamics ( TIMED) temperature and wind data from 2002 to 2007 and meteor radar data at Maui (20.75 degrees N, 156.43 degrees W). There are strong quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) signatures in the amplitude of the diurnal tidal temperature in the tropical region and in the wind near +/- 20 degrees. The magnitude of the QBO in the diurnal tidal amplitude reaches about 3 K in temperature and about 7 m/s ( Northern Hemisphere) and 9 m/s ( Southern Hemisphere) in meridional wind. The period of the diurnal tide QBO is around 24-25 months in the mesosphere but is quite variable with altitude in the stratosphere. Throughout the mesosphere, the amplitude of the diurnal tide reaches maximum during March/April of years when the QBO in lower stratospheric wind is in the eastward phase. Because the tide shows amplification only during a limited time of the year, there are not enough data yet to determine whether the tidal variation is truly biennial (24-month period) or is quasi-biennial. The semiannual (SAO) and annual oscillations (AO) in the diurnal tide support previous findings: tidal amplitude is largest around equinoxes ( SAO signal) and is larger during the vernal equinox ( AO signal). TIMED Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (TIMED/SABER) temperature and atmospheric pressure data are used to calculate the balance wind and the tides in horizontal wind. The comparison between the calculations and the wind observed by TIMED Doppler Interferometer (TIDI) and meteor radar indicates qualitative agreement, but there are some differences as well.

Mesopause structure from Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics, and Dynamics (TIMED)/Sounding of the Atmosphere Using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) observations

[1] Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere, Energetics, and Dynamics (TIMED)/ Sounding of the Atmosphere Using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) temperature observations are used to study the global structure and variability of the mesopause altitude and temperature. There are two distinctly different mesopause altitude levels: the higher level at 95–100 km and the lower level below 86 km. The mesopause of the middle- and high-latitude regions is at the lower altitude in the summer hemisphere for about 120 days aroundsummer solstice and is at the higher altitude during other seasons. At the equator the mesopause is at the higher altitude for all seasons. In addition to the seasonal variation in middle and high latitudes, the mesopause altitude and temperature undergomodulationbydiurnalandsemidiurnaltidesatalllatitudes.Themesopauseisabout 1 km higher at most latitudes and 6–9 K warmer at middle to high latitudes around December solstice than it is around June solstice. These can also be interpreted as hemispheric asymmetry between mesopause altitude and temperature at solstice. Possible causes of the asymmetry as related to solar forcing and gravity wave forcing are discussed.

Global structure and long‐term variations of zonal mean temperature observed by TIMED/SABER

Received 14 February 2007; revised 9 August 2007; accepted 17 September 2007; published 25 December 2007. [1] In this paper, we present a method of extracting zonal mean temperature and tides from TIMED/SABER satellite and discuss the features of the zonal mean temperature. The global temperature structure is presented, and the mean variations at each latitude and altitude are decomposed into semiannual (SAO), annual (AO), and quasi-biennial (QBO) components. The SAO is strong in the tropical upper stratosphere, mesosphere, and lower thermosphere. The SAO phase (measured by the time of the maximum) is at the equinox at 85 km and at solstice at 75 km. The amplitude is large compared to the annual mean temperature structure, which leads to a mesospheric inversion layer (MIL) in the zonal mean temperature around the equator at equinox. The AO is most evident at middle latitudes and displays a clear hemispheric asymmetry at solstices. The QBO in temperature is strongest in the tropical lower stratosphere; its period there is 26.6 months. There are also weak QBO signals near the mesopause and throughout the middle atmosphere at midlatitudes. The analysis of longer-term variations of the zonal mean temperature, probably affected by the solar cycle but also containing any other trends, indicates that in most regions, the zonal mean temperature decreases during the period of 5 years and is positively correlated with the solar radiation. These results use version 1.06 of the SABER temperature data, which have some known biases in the vicinity of the mesopause.