Articles | Volume 26, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13441-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-26-13441-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
24 Sep 2026
Research article |
| 24 Sep 2026
| 24 Sep 2026
First observations of solar zenith angle modulation of diurnal tidal structure in the MLT region
School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
State Key Laboratory of Environment Characteristics and Effects for Near-space, Beijing, China
National Field Observation and Research Station (Anhui Mengcheng) for Geophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
Jianyuan Wang
School of Microelectronics, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
National Field Observation and Research Station (Anhui Mengcheng) for Geophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
Hefei National Laboratory for the Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
Chengyun Yang
School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
National Field Observation and Research Station (Anhui Mengcheng) for Geophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
Iain M. Reid
ATRAD Pty Ltd., Underdale, South Australia, Australia
School of Physical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Robert A. Vincent
ATRAD Pty Ltd., Underdale, South Australia, Australia
School of Physical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Andrew MacKinnon
School of Physical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Damian J. Murphy
Australian Antarctic Division, Kingston, Tasmania, Australia
Njål Gulbrandsen
Tromsø Geophysical Observatory, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
Masaki Tsutsumi
National Institute of Polar Research, Tachikawa, Japan
Baiqi Ning
Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Guozhu Li
Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Nicholas J. Mitchell
British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK
Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, The University of Bath, Bath, UK
Tracy Moffat-Griffin
Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering, The University of Bath, Bath, UK
Toshitaka Tsuda
Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere (RISH), Kyoto University, Uji, Japan
Haiying Li
National Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Wave Propagation, China Research Institute of Radiowave Propagation, Qingdao, China
Paulo P. Batista
Heliophysics, Planetary Science and Aeronomy Division, National Institute for Space Research-INPE, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
Jianfei Wu
School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
National Field Observation and Research Station (Anhui Mengcheng) for Geophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
Tingdi Chen
School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
National Field Observation and Research Station (Anhui Mengcheng) for Geophysics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
Xiankang Dou
School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China
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Jianyuan Wang, Na Li, Wen Yi, Xianghui Xue, Iain M. Reid, Jianfei Wu, Hailun Ye, Jian Li, Zonghua Ding, Jinsong Chen, Guozhu Li, Yaoyu Tian, Boyuan Chang, Jiajing Wu, and Lei Zhao
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 13299–13315, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13299-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-13299-2024, 2024
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Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 3237–3253, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3237-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-3237-2024, 2024
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Clouds have been identified as the largest source of uncertainty in climate modelling. We report an untethered balloon launch of a holographic imager through clouds. This is the first time a holographic imager has been deployed in this way, enabled by the light weight and low cost of the imager. This work creates the potential to significantly increase the availability of cloud microphysical measurements required for the calibration and validation of climate models and remote sensing methods.
Qingchen Xu, Iain Murray Reid, Bing Cai, Christian Adami, Zengmao Zhang, Mingliang Zhao, and Wen Li
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 17, 2957–2975, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2957-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-17-2957-2024, 2024
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To have better understanding of the dynamics of the lower and middle atmosphere, we installed a newly designed dual-frequency radar system that uses 53.8 MHz for near-ground to 20 km wind measurements and 35.0 MHz for 70 to 100 km wind measurements. The initial results show its good performance, along with the analysis of typical winter gravity wave activities.
Gunter Stober, Sharon L. Vadas, Erich Becker, Alan Liu, Alexander Kozlovsky, Diego Janches, Zishun Qiao, Witali Krochin, Guochun Shi, Wen Yi, Jie Zeng, Peter Brown, Denis Vida, Neil Hindley, Christoph Jacobi, Damian Murphy, Ricardo Buriti, Vania Andrioli, Paulo Batista, John Marino, Scott Palo, Denise Thorsen, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Kathrin Baumgarten, Johan Kero, Evgenia Belova, Nicholas Mitchell, Tracy Moffat-Griffin, and Na Li
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 24, 4851–4873, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4851-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-24-4851-2024, 2024
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On 15 January 2022, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha‘apai volcano exploded in a vigorous eruption, causing many atmospheric phenomena reaching from the surface up to space. In this study, we investigate how the mesospheric winds were affected by the volcanogenic gravity waves and estimated their propagation direction and speed. The interplay between model and observations permits us to gain new insights into the vertical coupling through atmospheric gravity waves.
Ralph Latteck and Damian J. Murphy
Ann. Geophys., 42, 55–68, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-55-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-42-55-2024, 2024
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This paper gives an overview of continuous measurements of polar mesophere summer echoes (PMSE) by VHF radars at Andøya (69° N) and Davis (69° S). PMSE signal strengths are of the same order of magnitude; significantly fewer PMSE were observed in the Southern than the Northern Hemisphere. Compared to Andøya, the PMSE season over Davis starts ~7 d later and ends 9 d earlier; PMSE occur less frequently but with greater seasonal/diurnal occurrence variability, reaching higher peak altitudes.
Juliana Jaen, Toralf Renkwitz, Huixin Liu, Christoph Jacobi, Robin Wing, Aleš Kuchař, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, and Jorge L. Chau
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 14871–14887, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14871-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-14871-2023, 2023
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Investigation of winds is important to understand atmospheric dynamics. In the summer mesosphere and lower thermosphere, there are three main wind flows: the mesospheric westward, the mesopause southward (equatorward), and the lower-thermospheric eastward wind. Combining almost 2 decades of measurements from different radars, we study the trend, their interannual oscillations, and the effects of the geomagnetic activity over these wind maxima.
Penghao Tian, Bingkun Yu, Hailun Ye, Xianghui Xue, Jianfei Wu, and Tingdi Chen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 23, 13413–13431, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13413-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-13413-2023, 2023
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Modeling and prediction of ionospheric irregularities is an important topic in upper-atmospheric and upper-ionospheric physics. We proposed an artificial intelligence model to reconstruct the E-region ionospheric irregularities and first developed an open-source application for the community. The model reveals complex relationships between ionospheric irregularities and external driving factors. The findings suggest that spatiotemporal information plays an important role in the reconstruction.
Florian Günzkofer, Dimitry Pokhotelov, Gunter Stober, Ingrid Mann, Sharon L. Vadas, Erich Becker, Anders Tjulin, Alexander Kozlovsky, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Evgenia Belova, Johan Kero, Nicholas J. Mitchell, and Claudia Borries
Ann. Geophys., 41, 409–428, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-409-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-409-2023, 2023
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Gravity waves (GWs) are waves in Earth's atmosphere and can be observed as cloud ripples. Under certain conditions, these waves can propagate up into the ionosphere. Here, they can cause ripples in the ionosphere plasma, observable as oscillations of the plasma density. Therefore, GWs contribute to the ionospheric variability, making them relevant for space weather prediction. Additionally, the behavior of these waves allows us to draw conclusions about the atmosphere at these altitudes.
Pedro Alves Fontes, Marcio Tadeu de Assis Honorato Muella, Laysa Cristina Araújo Resende, Vânia Fátima Andrioli, Paulo Roberto Fagundes, Valdir Gil Pillat, Paulo Prado Batista, and Alexander Jose Carrasco
Ann. Geophys., 41, 209–224, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-209-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-209-2023, 2023
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In the terrestrial ionosphere, sporadic (metallic) layers are formed. The formation of these layers are related to the action of atmospheric waves. These waves, also named tides, are due to the absorption of solar radiation in the atmosphere. We investigated the role of the tides with 8 h period in the formation of the sporadic layers. The study was conducted using ionosonde and meteor radar data, as well as computing simulations. The 8 h tides intensified the density of the sporadic layers.
Gunter Stober, Alan Liu, Alexander Kozlovsky, Zishun Qiao, Witali Krochin, Guochun Shi, Johan Kero, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Kathrin Baumgarten, Evgenia Belova, and Nicholas Mitchell
Ann. Geophys., 41, 197–208, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-197-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-41-197-2023, 2023
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The Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha‘apai volcanic eruption was one of the most vigorous volcanic explosions in the last centuries. The eruption launched many atmospheric waves traveling around the Earth. In this study, we identify these volcanic waves at the edge of space in the mesosphere/lower-thermosphere, leveraging wind observations conducted with multi-static meteor radars in northern Europe and with the Chilean Observation Network De Meteor Radars (CONDOR).
Wen Yi, Jie Zeng, Xianghui Xue, Iain Reid, Wei Zhong, Jianfei Wu, Tingdi Chen, and Xiankang Dou
Atmos. Meas. Tech. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2022-254, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-2022-254, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
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In recent years, the concept of multistatic meteor radar systems has attracted the attention of the atmospheric radar community, focusing on the MLT region. In this study, we apply a multistatic meteor radar system consisting of a monostatic meteor radar in Mengcheng (33.36° N, 116.49° E) and a remote receiver in Changfeng (31.98° N, 117.22° E) to estimate the two-dimensional horizontal wind field, and the horizontal divergence and relative vorticity of the wind field.
Gunter Stober, Alan Liu, Alexander Kozlovsky, Zishun Qiao, Ales Kuchar, Christoph Jacobi, Chris Meek, Diego Janches, Guiping Liu, Masaki Tsutsumi, Njål Gulbrandsen, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Evgenia Belova, Johan Kero, and Nicholas Mitchell
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 5769–5792, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5769-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-5769-2022, 2022
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Precise and accurate measurements of vertical winds at the mesosphere and lower thermosphere are rare. Although meteor radars have been used for decades to observe horizontal winds, their ability to derive reliable vertical wind measurements was always questioned. In this article, we provide mathematical concepts to retrieve mathematically and physically consistent solutions, which are compared to the state-of-the-art non-hydrostatic model UA-ICON.
Bingkun Yu, Xianghui Xue, Christopher J. Scott, Mingjiao Jia, Wuhu Feng, John M. C. Plane, Daniel R. Marsh, Jonas Hedin, Jörg Gumbel, and Xiankang Dou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 11485–11504, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11485-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11485-2022, 2022
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We present a study on the climatology of the metal sodium layer in the upper atmosphere from the ground-based measurements obtained from a lidar network, the Odin satellite measurements, and a global model of meteoric sodium in the atmosphere. Comprehensively, comparisons show good agreement and some discrepancies between ground-based observations, satellite measurements, and global model simulations.
Shican Qiu, Mengzhen Yuan, Willie Soon, Victor Manuel Velasco Herrera, Zhanming Zhang, and Xiankang Dou
Ann. Geophys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-2022-22, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-2022-22, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
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In this paper, the solar radiation index Y10 acts as an indicator of the solar activity, and the vertical column of ice water content (IWC) characterizes the nature of the polar mesosphere cloud (PMC). Superposed epoch analysis is used to determine the time lag days of temperature and IWC anomalies in responding to Y10 for the PMC seasons from 2007–2015. The results show that the IWC can respond quickly to temperature within time lag of one day.
Neil P. Hindley, Nicholas J. Mitchell, Neil Cobbett, Anne K. Smith, Dave C. Fritts, Diego Janches, Corwin J. Wright, and Tracy Moffat-Griffin
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 9435–9459, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9435-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-9435-2022, 2022
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We present observations of winds in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) from a recently installed meteor radar on the remote island of South Georgia (54° S, 36° W). We characterise mean winds, tides, planetary waves, and gravity waves in the MLT at this location and compare our measured winds with a leading climate model. We find that the observed wintertime winds are unexpectedly reversed from model predictions, probably because of missing impacts of secondary gravity waves in the model.
Yetao Cen, Chengyun Yang, Tao Li, James M. Russell III, and Xiankang Dou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 7861–7874, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7861-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-7861-2022, 2022
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The MLT DW1 amplitude is suppressed during El Niño winters in both satellite observation and SD-WACCM simulations. The suppressed Hough mode (1, 1) in the tropopause region propagates vertically to the MLT region, leading to decreased DW1 amplitude. The latitudinal zonal wind shear anomalies during El Niño winters would narrow the waveguide and prevent the vertical propagation of DW1. The gravity wave drag excited by ENSO-induced anomalous convection could also modulate the MLT DW1 amplitude.
Jill Brouwer, Alexander D. Fraser, Damian J. Murphy, Pat Wongpan, Alberto Alberello, Alison Kohout, Christopher Horvat, Simon Wotherspoon, Robert A. Massom, Jessica Cartwright, and Guy D. Williams
The Cryosphere, 16, 2325–2353, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2325-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2325-2022, 2022
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The marginal ice zone is the region where ocean waves interact with sea ice. Although this important region influences many sea ice, ocean and biological processes, it has been difficult to accurately measure on a large scale from satellite instruments. We present new techniques for measuring wave attenuation using the NASA ICESat-2 laser altimeter. By measuring how waves attenuate within the sea ice, we show that the marginal ice zone may be far wider than previously realised.
Matthew J. Griffith and Nicholas J. Mitchell
Ann. Geophys., 40, 327–358, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-327-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-327-2022, 2022
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There is great scientific interest in extending atmospheric models, such as the Met Office’s Unified Model, upwards to include the upper atmosphere. Atmospheric tides are an important driver of circulation at these greater heights. This study provides a first in-depth analysis of the migrating and non-migrating components of these tides, examining important tidal properties. Our results show that the ExUM produces a rich spectrum of spatial components, with significant non-migrating components.
Phoebe Noble, Neil Hindley, Corwin Wright, Chihoko Cullens, Scott England, Nicholas Pedatella, Nicholas Mitchell, and Tracy Moffat-Griffin
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2022-150, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2022-150, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
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We use long term radar data and the WACCM-X model to study the impact of dynamical phenomena, including the 11-year solar cycle, ENSO, QBO and SAM, on Antarctic mesospheric winds. We find that in summer, the zonal wind (both observationally and in the model) is strongly correlated with the solar cycle. We also see important differences in the results from the other processes. In addition we find important and large biases in the winter model zonal winds relative to the observations.
Dawei Tang, Tianwen Wei, Jinlong Yuan, Haiyun Xia, and Xiankang Dou
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 15, 2819–2838, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2819-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-15-2819-2022, 2022
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During 11–20 March 2020, three aerosol transport events were investigated by a lidar system and an online bioaerosol detection system in Hefei, China.
Observation results reveal that the events not only contributed to high particulate matter pollution but also to the transport of external bioaerosols, resulting in changes in the fraction of fluorescent biological aerosol particles.
This detection method improved the time resolution and provided more parameters for aerosol detection.
Shican Qiu, Mengxi Shi, Willie Soon, Mingjiao Jia, Xianghui Xue, Tao Li, Peng Ju, and Xiankang Dou
Atmos. Chem. Phys. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2021-1085, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-2021-1085, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
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The solitary wave theory is applied for the first time to study the sporadic sodium layers (NaS). We perform soliton fitting processes on the observed data from the Andes Lidar Observatory, and find out that 24/27 NaS events exhibit similar features to a soliton. Time series of the net anomaly reveal the same variation process to the solution of a five-order KdV equation. Our results suggest the NaS phenomenon would be an appropriate tracer for nonlinear wave studies in the atmosphere.
Juliana Jaen, Toralf Renkwitz, Jorge L. Chau, Maosheng He, Peter Hoffmann, Yosuke Yamazaki, Christoph Jacobi, Masaki Tsutsumi, Vivien Matthias, and Chris Hall
Ann. Geophys., 40, 23–35, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-23-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo-40-23-2022, 2022
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To study long-term trends in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (70–100 km), we established two summer length definitions and analyzed the variability over the years (2004–2020). After the analysis, we found significant trends in the summer beginning of one definition. Furthermore, we were able to extend one of the time series up to 31 years and obtained evidence of non-uniform trends and periodicities similar to those known for the quasi-biennial oscillation and El Niño–Southern Oscillation.
Xiao Liu, Jiyao Xu, Jia Yue, You Yu, Paulo P. Batista, Vania F. Andrioli, Zhengkuan Liu, Tao Yuan, Chi Wang, Ziming Zou, Guozhu Li, and James M. Russell III
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 5643–5661, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5643-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-5643-2021, 2021
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Based on the gradient balance wind theory and the SABER observations, a dataset of monthly mean zonal wind has been developed at heights of 18–100 km and latitudes of 50° Sndash;50° N from 2002 to 2019. The dataset agrees with the zonal wind from models (MERRA2, UARP, HWM14) and observations by meteor radar and lidar at seven stations. The dataset can be used to study seasonal and interannual variations and can serve as a background for wave studies of tides and planetary waves.
Liang Tang, Sheng-Yang Gu, and Xian-Kang Dou
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 17495–17512, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17495-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-17495-2021, 2021
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Our study explores the variation in the occurrence date, peak amplitude and wave period for eastward waves and the role of instability, background wind structure and the critical layer in eastward wave propagation and amplification.
Jianfei Wu, Wuhu Feng, Han-Li Liu, Xianghui Xue, Daniel Robert Marsh, and John Maurice Campbell Plane
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 21, 15619–15630, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15619-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-15619-2021, 2021
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Metal layers occur in the MLT region (80–120 km) from the ablation of cosmic dust. The latest lidar observations show these metals can reach a height approaching 200 km, which is challenging to explain. We have developed the first global simulation incorporating the full life cycle of metal atoms and ions. The model results compare well with lidar and satellite observations of the seasonal and diurnal variation of the metals and demonstrate the importance of ion mass and ion-neutral coupling.
Gunter Stober, Alexander Kozlovsky, Alan Liu, Zishun Qiao, Masaki Tsutsumi, Chris Hall, Satonori Nozawa, Mark Lester, Evgenia Belova, Johan Kero, Patrick J. Espy, Robert E. Hibbins, and Nicholas Mitchell
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 14, 6509–6532, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6509-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-14-6509-2021, 2021
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Wind observations at the edge to space, 70–110 km altitude, are challenging. Meteor radars have become a widely used instrument to obtain mean wind profiles above an instrument for these heights. We describe an advanced mathematical concept and present a tomographic analysis using several meteor radars located in Finland, Sweden and Norway, as well as Chile, to derive the three-dimensional flow field. We show an example of a gravity wave decelerating the mean flow.
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Short summary
This study provides observational evidence that the solar zenith angle (SZA) influences the vertical structure of diurnal tides in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region. Diurnal tides are strongest at low and mid-latitudes (10–50° N/S) and weaker near the Equator and at polar latitudes. The results further suggest that background zonal winds influence tidal propagation and structure through filtering and momentum drag.
This study provides observational evidence that the solar zenith angle (SZA) influences the...
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