We present an analysis of the responses of quasi 2 day waves (QTDWs) to the 2013 sudden stratosphere warming (SSW) in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region. The study is based on data collected by a meteor radar chain along the 120°E meridian in the Northern Hemisphere which consists of four stations at Mohe (52.5°N, 122.3°E), Beijing (40.3°N, 116.2°E), Wuhan (30.5°N, 114.6°E), and Sanya (18.3°N, 109.6°E). It is the first time that an enhancement of the QTDW in the neutral wind during the 2013 SSW is observed in the midlatitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. During the SSW, the amplification of the QTDW in the low latitudes is the most prominent and the direction of the mean zonal wind shows clear reversion from eastward to westward. The consistent variations of the QTDWs and the mean neutral wind at the four stations are very likely associated with the SSW.
14 September 2018 in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
An extensive analysis of quasi 5‐day waves (5DWs) in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere and their responses to a major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event (January 2013) are presented. The analysis is based on data conducted from a meteor radar chain in the period from December 2008 to November 2017 and Aura Microwave Limb Sounder satellite. The radar chain includes three stations located at Mohe (MH, 53.5°N, 122.3°E), Beijing (BJ, 40.3°N, 116.2°E), and Wuhan (WH, 30.5°N, 114.6°E). The 5DWs present clear interannual and seasonal variations, which are observed by both the radar wind data and Aura‐temperature data. Interestingly, the ter‐annual oscillation is found to be as important as the commonly recognized annual oscillation and semiannual oscillation at the three stations in both neutral wind components. The 5DWs are strong mainly during the August/September in the meridional component, while they are primarily enhanced in the period of January, April/May, and late summer in the zonal component. An enhancement of 5DWs is observed during the 2013 SSW event in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere region at the three stations. The amplitudes during the SSW are more than 2 times larger than the January average. The strength of the amplification is most prominent at MH and reduces as latitude decreases. According to the results obtained from the radar wind and Aura temperature, the enhanced 5DW modes are W1 at MH, and W2 at BJ and WH. Our results indicate that the amplification of the 5DWs is very likely associated with the 2013 SSW.
10 December 2013 in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
An extensive analysis of atmospheric tides in the low‐latitude thermosphere and their responses to a major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event (18–23 January 2010) is presented. The analysis is based on observational data from the Arecibo dual‐beam incoherent scatter radar. Important findings of the present study are as follows. (1) The diurnal tide with an evanescent phase structure dominates the F region meridional wind field. The diurnal tide has a peak amplitude of 45 m/s occurring at about 245 km, and it is very stable throughout the nine consecutive days' observation. Below 114 km, the vertical structures of the diurnal tide in the meridional and zonal components are consistent, which resemble the classical solar S1, 1 tidal mode. (2) The F region semidiurnal tide is much weaker and has larger day‐to‐day variability than the diurnal tide. In the E region, the semidiurnal amplitudes in the meridional and zonal components grow continuously in the altitude ranges from 106 to 121 km and from 100 to 115 km, respectively. The vertical wavelength of the zonal component is estimated to be 45 km above 100 km, which is close to the solar S2, 4 and S2, 5 tidal modes. (3) The semidiurnal and terdiurnal tides respond strongly to the SSW while the impact that the SSW has on the diurnal tide in the meridional wind is limited. During the SSW event, the amplitudes of the semidiurnal and terdiurnal tides are enhanced in the F region but reduced in the upper E region.
10 March 2021 in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
We present a study of the quasi 10‐day waves (Q10DWs) in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) during a sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event in February 2018 based on three meteor radars located at Mohe (MH, 53.5°N, 122.3°E), Beijing (BJ, 40.3°N, 116.2°E), and Wuhan (WH, 30.5°N, 116.6°E). The enhanced Q10DWs are observed in the meridional component at MH and in the zonal component at BJ and WH. In the meridional component, the monthly mean Q10DW amplitudes in February 2018 are greater than 10 m/s at MH but weaker than ∼7 m/s at BJ and WH. In the zonal component, monthly mean Q10DWs amplitudes are ∼15 m/s at BJ and WH but only 9 m/s at MH. These latitudinal differences of the Q10DWs in the MLT region are very likely due to the Q10DW activity in the lower atmosphere and the mean background winds. The strong southward winds might bring the wave energy to MH in the meridional component during the occurrence of SSW, while the enhanced Q10DWs in the zonal component at BJ and WH are likely associated with the strong Q10DWs in the lower atmosphere and weakening eastward winds after the central date of the SSW. The significance test indicates that the enhanced Q10DWs in the meridional wind of MH and in the zonal wind of WH are very likely affected by the SSW. In addition, nonlinear interactions between the Q10DWs and other planetary waves also modulate the variations in the MLT region at BJ during the SSW.
We present an analysis of planetary‐scale oscillations during sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events based on data obtained from a meteor radar located at Mohe (MH, 53.5°N, 122.3°E), the Aura satellite and Modern‐Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 data (MERRA2). The planetary‐scale oscillations in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region during eight SSW events from 2012 to 2019 have been statistically investigated. Our analysis reveals that the enhancement or the generation of westward propagating quasi 16‐day oscillation with wavenumber 1 (W1) is a common feature during SSWs over MH. A strong enhancement of the quasi 4‐day oscillation during the 2018/2019 SSW is captured by both radar and satellite observations. The amplified quasi 4‐day oscillation has a period of ~4.3 days in both meridional and zonal winds and with a wavenumber of W2 in the zonal component. Using the meteor radar and MERRA2 data, the vertical structure of the quasi 4‐day oscillation from the stratosphere to the lower thermosphere is derived. The upward propagating feature of the quasi 4‐day oscillation in the meridional component indicates that the oscillation is very likely generated in the lower mesosphere. The mesospheric zonal wind reversal after an elevated stratopause event is observed during the SSW, which results in a negative meridional gradient of the quasi‐geostrophic potential vorticity. Our results not only reveal that the amplified quasi 4‐day oscillation in the MLT region is associated with the 2018/2019 SSW but also suggest that the amplification is originally generated around 60 km due to barotropic/baroclinic instability and propagates upward to MLT region.