scholarly journals Migrating tide climatologies measured by a high-latitude array of SuperDARN HF radars

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 1257-1265
Author(s):  
Willem E. van Caspel ◽  
Patrick J. Espy ◽  
Robert E. Hibbins ◽  
John P. McCormack

Abstract. This study uses hourly meteor wind measurements from a longitudinal array of 10 high-latitude SuperDARN high-frequency (HF) radars to isolate the migrating diurnal, semidiurnal, and terdiurnal tides at mesosphere–lower-thermosphere (MLT) altitudes. The planetary-scale array of radars covers 180∘ of longitude, with 8 out of 10 radars being in near-continuous operation since the year 2000. Time series spanning 16 years of tidal amplitudes and phases in both zonal and meridional wind are presented, along with their respective annual climatologies. The method to isolate the migrating tides from SuperDARN meteor winds is validated using 2 years of winds from a high-altitude meteorological analysis system. The validation steps demonstrate that, given the geographical spread of the radar stations, the derived tidal modes are most closely representative of the migrating tides at 60∘ N. Some of the main characteristics of the observed migrating tides are that the semidiurnal tide shows sharp phase jumps around the equinoxes and peak amplitudes during early fall and that the terdiurnal tide shows a pronounced secondary amplitude peak around day of year (DOY) 265. In addition, the diurnal tide is found to show a bi-modal circular polarization phase relation between summer and winter.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem E. van Caspel ◽  
Patrick J. Espy ◽  
Robert E. Hibbins ◽  
John P. McCormack

Abstract. This study uses hourly meteor wind measurements from a longitudinal array of 10 high-latitude SuperDARN HF-radars to isolate the migrating diurnal, semidiurnal and terdiurnal tidal modes at Mesosphere-Lower-Thermosphere (MLT) heights. The planetary-scale array of radars covers 180 degrees of longitude, with eight out of 10 radars being in near-continuous operation since the year 2000. Time series spanning 16 years of tidal amplitudes and phases in both zonal and meridional wind are presented, along with their respective annual climatologies. The method to isolate the migrating tidal modes from SuperDARN meteor winds is validated using two years of winds from NAVGEM-HA (Navy Global Environmental Model – High Altitude). The validation steps demonstrate that, given the geographical spread of the radar stations, the derived tidal modes are most closely representative of the migrating tides at 60° N. Some of the main characteristics of the observed migrating tides are that the semidiurnal tide shows sharp phase jumps around the equinoxes and peak amplitudes during late summer, and that the terdiurnal tide shows a pronounced secondary amplitude peak around DOY 260. In addition, the diurnal tide is found to show a bi-modal circular polarization phase relation between summer and winter.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 893-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sven Wilhelm ◽  
Gunter Stober ◽  
Jorge L. Chau

Abstract. The Andenes Meteor Radar (MR) and the Saura Medium Frequency (MF) Radar are located in northern Norway (69° N, 16° E) and operate continuously to provide wind measurements of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region. We compare the two systems to find potential biases between the radars and combine the data from both systems to enhance altitudinal coverage between 60 and 110 km. The systems have altitudinal overlap between 78 and 100 km at which we compare winds and tides on the basis of hourly winds with 2 km altitude bins. Our results indicate reasonable agreement for the zonal and meridional wind components between 78 and 92 km. An exception to this is the altitude range below 84 km during the summer, at which the correlation decreases. We also compare semidiurnal and diurnal tides according to their amplitudes and phases with good agreement below 90 km for the diurnal and below 96 km for the semidiurnal tides. Based on these findings we have taken the MR data as a reference. By comparing the MF and MR winds within the overlapping region, we have empirically estimated correction factors to be applied to the MF winds. Existing gaps in that data set will be filled with weighted MF data. This weighting is done due to underestimated wind values of the MF compared to the MR, and the resulting correction factors fit to a polynomial function of second degree within the overlapping area. We are therefore able to construct a consistent and homogenous wind from approximately 60 to 110 km.


1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 828-837 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. I. Portnyagin ◽  
J. M. Forbes ◽  
N. A. Makarov ◽  
E. G. Merzlyakov ◽  
S. Palo

Abstract. Meteor radar measurements of winds near 95 km in four azimuth directions from the geographic South Pole are analyzed to reveal characteristics of the 12-h oscillation with zonal wavenumber one (s=1). The wind measurements are confined to the periods from 19 January 1995 through 26 January 1996 and from 21 November 1996 through 27 January 1997. The 12-h s=1 oscillation is found to be a predominantly summertime phenomenon, and is replaced in winter by a spectrum of oscillations with periods between 6 and 11.5 h. Both summers are characterized by minimum amplitudes (5–10 ms–1) during early January and maxima (15–20 ms–1) in November and late January. For 10-day means of the 12-h oscillation, smooth evolutions of phase of order 4–6 h occur during the course of the summer. In addition, there is considerable day-to-day variability (±5–10 ms–1 in amplitude) with distinct periods (i.e., ~5 days and ~8 days) which suggests modulation by planetary-scale disturbances. A comparison of climatological data from Scott Base, Molodezhnaya, and Mawson stations suggests that the 12-h oscillation near 78°S is s=1, but that at 68°S there is probably a mixture between s=1 and other zonal wavenumber oscillations (most probably s=2). The mechanism responsible for the existence of the 12-h s=1 oscillation has not yet been identified. Possible origins discussed herein include in situ excitation, nonlinear interaction between the migrating semidiurnal tide and a stationary s=1 feature, and thermal excitation in the troposphere.Key words. Meteorology and atmospheric dynamics · Middle atmosphere dynamics · Thermospheric dynamics · Waves and tides


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 1355-1361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan E. E. Rogers ◽  
Philip J. Erickson ◽  
Larisa P. Goncharenko ◽  
Omar B. Alam ◽  
John Noto ◽  
...  

AbstractGround-based spectrometers have been deployed to measure the concentration, velocity, and temperature of ozone in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT), using low-cost satellite television electronics to observe the 11.072-GHz line of ozone. The ozone line was observed at an altitude near 95 km at 38°N, 71°W using three spectrometers located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Haystack Observatory (Westford, Massachusetts), Chelmsford High School (Chelmsford, Massachusetts), and Union College (Schenectady, New York), each pointed south at 8° elevation. Observations from 2009 through 2014 were used to derive the nightly averaged seasonal variation of the 95-km altitude meridional wind velocity, as well as the seasonally averaged variation of the meridional wind with local solar time. The results indicate a seasonal trend in which the winds at 95 km are directed southward at about 10 m s−1 in the summer of the Northern Hemisphere and northward at about 10 m s−1 in the winter. Nighttime data from −5 to +5 local solar time show a gradual transition of the meridional wind velocity from about −20 to 20 m s−1. These variations correlate well with nighttime wind measurements using 557.7-nm optical airglow observations from the Millstone Hill high-resolution Fábry–Perot interferometer (FPI) in Westford.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Willem E. van Caspel ◽  
Patrick J. Espy ◽  
Robert E. Hibbins ◽  
John P. McCormack

<p>Solar thermal (migrating) atmospheric tides play an important role in shaping the day-to-day and seasonal variability of the Mesosphere-Lower-Thermosphere (MLT) region. Due the planetary scale of the migrating tides, observations have, however, remained sparse. This study uses meteor-echo wind measurements from a longitudinal array of SuperDARN HF-radars to isolate the amplitude and phase of the migrating diurnal, semidiurnal, and terdiurnal tide. The array of SuperDARN radars, covering nearly 180 degrees longitude at 60±5 degrees North, provide hourly horizontal wind measurements at approximately 95km altitude. The migrating components of the tides are isolated by fitting wave surfaces in space and time. The results are compared with global synoptic wind analyses from the high-altitude version of the Navy Global Environmental Model (NAVGEM-HA) to validate the method. The tides are also compared against those measured at a single station by the Trondheim (66N, 10E) meteor radar. We will present the method, a comparison between (migrating) tidal components in SuperDARN, NAVGEM-HA and the Trondheim meteor radar between 2014 and 2015, and migrating tide climatologies based on 21 years of SuperDARN data.</p>


2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 519-531 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. R. Araújo ◽  
L. M. Lima ◽  
P. P. Batista ◽  
B. R. Clemesha ◽  
H. Takahashi

Abstract. In this study we have used wind observation data from the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region, obtained from meteor radar measurements in São João do Cariri (7.4° S, 36.5° W) from July 2004 to December 2008 and in Cachoeira Paulista (22.7° S, 45.0° W) from January 2002 to July 2006 and from September 2007 to November 2008. From the spectral analysis it was possible to identify the presence of planetary-scale oscillations in the hourly winds for the two latitudes and to study their transient character, which allowed elaboration of a climatology of planetary oscillation signatures. Planetary waves with periods near 2-days, 6–7 days, and 16 days were focussed on in this study. The quasi-2-day waves in the meteoric winds showed a seasonal cycle, with intense amplitudes occurring after the austral summer solstice and extending until the end of the season. The vertical wavelengths of the 2-day wave over Cachoeira Paulista were larger than those at São João do Cariri. A possible modulation of the quasi-2-day wave amplitudes by the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) has been observed only at São João do Cariri. The 6–7 day oscillations presented more intense amplitudes during August–November but were present with lower amplitudes during March–April at both sites. The 6–7 day vertical wavelengths over São João do Cariri were larger than at Cachoeira Paulista. The 6–7 day amplitudes exhibited intra-seasonal and annual behavior, however, there was no clear evidence of QBO modulation. The 16-day oscillations showed a seasonal cycle at São João do Cariri, with amplifications from austral spring to mid-summer and weaker amplitudes from autumn until early winter, however, there was no clear seasonality over Cachoeira Paulista. The 16-day vertical wavelengths have assumed values of λz ~ 45–85 km over both sites. 16-day wave amplitudes at the two sites showed different long-term behaviors.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 953-963 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cosme Alexandre O. B. Figueiredo ◽  
Ricardo A. Buriti ◽  
Igo Paulino ◽  
John W. Meriwether ◽  
Jonathan J. Makela ◽  
...  

Abstract. The midnight temperature maximum (MTM) has been observed in the lower thermosphere by two Fabry–Pérot interferometers (FPIs) at São João do Cariri (7.4° S, 36.5° W) and Cajazeiras (6.9° S, 38.6° W) during 2011, when the solar activity was moderate and the solar flux was between 90 and 155 SFU (1 SFU  =  10−22 W m−2 Hz−1). The MTM is studied in detail using measurements of neutral temperature, wind and airglow relative intensity of OI630.0 nm (referred to as OI6300), and ionospheric parameters, such as virtual height (h′F), the peak height of the F2 region (hmF2), and critical frequency of the F region (foF2), which were measured by a Digisonde instrument (DPS) at Eusébio (3.9° S, 38.4° W; geomagnetic coordinates 7.31° S, 32.40° E for 2011). The MTM peak was observed mostly along the year, except in May, June, and August. The amplitudes of the MTM varied from 64 ± 46 K in April up to 144 ± 48 K in October. The monthly temperature average showed a phase shift in the MTM peak around 0.25 h in September to 2.5 h in December before midnight. On the other hand, in February, March, and April the MTM peak occurred around midnight. International Reference Ionosphere 2012 (IRI-2012) model was compared to the neutral temperature observations and the IRI-2012 model failed in reproducing the MTM peaks. The zonal component of neutral wind flowed eastward the whole night; regardless of the month and the magnitude of the zonal wind, it was typically within the range of 50 to 150 m s−1 during the early evening. The meridional component of the neutral wind changed its direction over the months: from November to February, the meridional wind in the early evening flowed equatorward with a magnitude between 25 and 100 m s−1; in contrast, during the winter months, the meridional wind flowed to the pole within the range of 0 to −50 m s−1. Our results indicate that the reversal (changes in equator to poleward flow) or abatement of the meridional winds is an important factor in the MTM generation. From February to April and from September to December, the h′F and the hmF2 showed an increase around 18:00–20:00 LT within a range between 300 and 550 km and reached a minimal height of about 200–300 km close to midnight; then the layer rose again by about 40 km or, sometimes, remained at constant height. Furthermore, during the winter months, the h′F and hmF2 showed a different behavior; the signature of the pre-reversal enhancement did not appear as in other months and the heights did not exceed 260 and 350 km. Our observation indicated that the midnight collapse of the F region was a consequence of the MTM in the meridional wind that was reflected in the height of the F region. Lastly, the behavior of the OI6300 showed, from February to April and from September to December, an increase in intensity around midnight or 1 h before, which was associated with the MTM, whereas, from May to August, the relative intensity was more intense in the early evening and decayed during the night.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Liang ◽  
Hu Xiong ◽  
Wei Feng ◽  
Yan Zhaoai ◽  
Xu Qingchen ◽  
...  

Abstract. The Stratospheric Environmental respoNses to Solar stORms (SENSOR) campaign investigates the influence of solar storms on the stratosphere. This campaign employs a long-duration zero-pressure balloon as a platform to carry multiple types of payloads during a series of flight experiments in the mid-latitude stratosphere from 2019 to 2022. This article describes the development and testing of an acoustic anemometer for obtaining in situ wind measurements along the balloon trajectory. Developing this anemometer was necessary, as there is no existing commercial off-the-shelf product, to the authors' knowledge, capable of obtaining in situ wind measurements on a high-altitude balloon or other similar floating platform in the stratosphere. The anemometer is also equipped with temperature, pressure, and humidity sensors from a Temperature-Pressure-Humidity measurement module, inherited from a radiosonde developed for sounding balloons. The acoustic anemometer and other sensors were used in a flight experiment of the SENSOR campaign that took place in the Da chaidan District (95.37° E, 37.74° N) on 4 September 2019. The zonal and meridional wind speed observations, which were obtained during level flight at an altitude exceeding 20 km, are presented. This is the first time that in situ wind measurements were obtained during level flight at this altitude. In addition to wind speed measurements, temperature, pressure, and relative humidity measurements during ascent are compared to observations from a nearby radiosonde launched four hours earlier. Further analysis of the wind data will presented in a subsequent publication. The problems experienced by the acoustic anemometer during the 2019 experiment show that the acoustic anemometer must be improved for future experiments in the SENSOR campaign.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 4997-5005 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. H. Stray ◽  
Y. J. Orsolini ◽  
P. J. Espy ◽  
V. Limpasuvan ◽  
R. E. Hibbins

Abstract. This study investigates the effect of stratospheric sudden warmings (SSWs) on planetary wave (PW) activity in the mesosphere–lower thermosphere (MLT). PW activity near 95 km is derived from meteor wind data using a chain of eight SuperDARN radars at high northern latitudes that span longitudes from 150° W to 25° E and latitudes from 51 to 66° N. Zonal wave number 1 and 2 components were extracted from the meridional wind for the years 2000–2008. The observed wintertime PW activity shows common features associated with the stratospheric wind reversals and the accompanying stratospheric warming events. Onset dates for seven SSW events accompanied by an elevated stratopause (ES) were identified during this time period using the Specified Dynamics Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (SD-WACCM). For the seven events, a significant enhancement in wave number 1 and 2 PW amplitudes near 95 km was found to occur after the wind reversed at 50 km, with amplitudes maximizing approximately 5 days after the onset of the wind reversal. This PW enhancement in the MLT after the event was confirmed using SD-WACCM. When all cases of polar cap wind reversals at 50 km were considered, a significant, albeit moderate, correlation of 0.4 was found between PW amplitudes near 95 km and westward polar-cap stratospheric winds at 50 km, with the maximum correlation occurring ∼ 3 days after the maximum westward wind. These results indicate that the enhancement of PW amplitudes near 95 km is a common feature of SSWs irrespective of the strength of the wind reversal.


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