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A quasi‐16‐day wave in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere is investigated through analyses of radar data during January/February 1979 and through numerical simulations for various background wind conditions. Previous workers have examined about 19 days of tropospheric and stratospheric data during January 10–28, 1979, and present conflicting evidence as to whether a large westward propagating wavenumber 1 oscillation observed during this period can be identified in terms of the second symmetric Rossby normal mode of zonal wavenumber 1, commonly referred to as the “16‐day wave.” In the present work we have applied spectral analysis techniques to meridional and zonal winds near 95 km altitude obtained from radar measurements over Obninsk, Russia (54°N, 38°E) and Saskatoon, Canada (52°N, 107°W). These data reveal oscillations of the order of ±10 m s−1 with a period near 16 days as well as waves with periods near 5 and 10 days. These periodicities all correspond to expected resonant frequencies of atmospheric disturbances associated with westward propagating free Rossby modes of zonal wavenumber 1. Numerical simulations are performed which demonstrate that the 95‐km measurements of the 16‐day wave are consistent with upward extension of the oscillation determined from the tropospheric and stratospheric data. Noteworthy features of the model in terms of its applicability in the mesosphere/lower thermosphere regime are explicit inclusion of eddy and molecular diffusion of heat and momentum and realistic distributions of mean winds, especially between 80 and 100 km. The latter include a westerly wind regime above the summer easterly mesospheric jet, thus providing a ducting channel enabling interhemispheric penetration of the winter planetary wave disturbance. This serves to explain the appearance of a quasi‐16‐day wave recently reported in the high‐latitude summer mesopause (Williams and Avery, 1992). However, the efficiency of this interhemispheric coupling may be reduced by gravity wave stress. No significant penetration of the 16‐day oscillation above about 100 km is predicted by the model. Reported signatures of a 16‐day periodicity in ionospheric data therefore require modulation of tidal or gravity wave accessibility to the thermosphere, or perhaps in situ excitation.

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[1] A westward propagating zonal wave number 1 wave with a period near 6.5 days was a prominent feature in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) during the 1994 equinoxes. The meridional structure of the wave in the upper stratosphere and the MLT is consistent with the 5-day wave structure predicted by normal mode theory. However, the amplitude increases sharply above 80 km, where the wave exhibits a highly organized baroclinic circulation. The eddy fluxes and the background state suggest that the wave is amplified by instability of the mesospheric winds.

Abstract. Radar echoes from ranges less than 500 km are routinely observed by the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) on most days. Many of these echoes have properties which are markedly different from what one would expect from E or F region irregularities. We show that these unusual short-range HF echoes are due to scattering off meteor trails. This explains why, among other things, the Doppler shift from the short-range echoes taken from the SuperDARN Saskatoon antenna are consistent with the mesospheric winds observed by the Saskatoon MF radar. This means that the SuperDARN radars can be used to study neutral winds at meteor heights, a result which is especially interesting since it opens up the capability for a global coverage of mesospheric winds using the worldwide distribution of SuperDARN radars.

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Horizontal wind fields in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere are obtained with the high resolution Doppler imager (HRDI) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) by observing the Doppler shifts of emission lines in the 09. atmospheric band. The validity of the derived winds depends on an accurate knowledge of the positions on the detector of the observed lines in the absence of a wind-induced Doppler shift. Relative changes in these positions are readily identified in the routine measurements of onboard calibration lines. The determination of the absolute values relies on the comparison of HRDI observations with those obtained by MF radars and rockets.In addition, the degrees of horizontal and vertical smoothing of the recovered wind profiles have been optimized by examining the effects of these parameters both on the amplitude of the HRDI-derived diurnal tidal amplitude and on the variance of the wind differences with correlative measurements. This paper describes these validation procedures and presents comparisons with correlative data. The main discrepancy appears to be in the relative magnitudes measured by HRDI and by the MF radar technique. Specifically, HRDI generally observes larger winds than the MF radars, but the size of the discrepancy varies significantly between different stations. HRDI wind magnitudes are found to be somewhat more consistent with measurements obtained by the rocket launched falling sphere technique and are in very good agreement with the wind imaging interferometer (WINDID, also flown on UARS. 1. Introduction The high resolution Doppler imager (HRDI) on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) is designed to measure horizontal winds in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (50-115 kin) and in the stratosphere (10-40 kin), as part of a coordinated mission which is aimed at an improved understanding of global atmospheric change [Reber et al., 1993]. One of the most important objectives of the HRDI project is to develop a comprehensive global climatology of the winds in the atmosphere from 50 to 115 kin. This will serve as a reference point for future investigations and will provide comparison for global models. Prior to UARS the understanding of the global circulation in the Paper number 95JD01700. 0148-0227/96/95JD-01700505.00 upper mesosphere was based primarily on a collection of localized (ground-based or in situ) observations. Many studies of this region have employed the view of the circulation based on the COSPAR International Reference Atmosphere (CIRA). The widely used CIRA-72 model was derived from data obtained with meteorological rockets prior to 1970. The more recent CIRA-86 contains global gradient winds derived from Nimbus 5 and 6 satellite radiance data in the altitude range 20-80 km and MSIS-83 [Hedin, 1983] satellite and ground-based data in the altitude range 80-120 kin. Wind measurements of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) obtained from a network of MF and meteor detection radars show features not present in the simplified CIRA view o...

Abstract. The "Scandinavian Triangle" is a unique trio of radars within the DATAR Project (Dynamics and Temperatures from the Arctic MLT (60-97 km) region): Andenes MF radar (69 • N, 16 • E); Tromsø MF radar (70 • N, 19 • E) and Esrange "Meteor" radar (68 • N, 21 • E). The radar-spacings range from 125-270 km, making it unique for studies of wind variability associated with small-scale waves, comparisons of large-scale waves measured over small spacings, and for comparisons of winds from different radar systems. As such it complements results from arrays having spacings of 25 km and 500 km that have been located near Saskatoon. Correlation analysis is used to demonstrate a speed bias (MF smaller than the Meteor) between the radar types, which varies with season and altitude. Annual climatologies for the year 2000 of mean winds, solar tides, planetary and gravity waves are presented, and show indications of significant spatial variability across the Triangle and of differences in wave characteristics from middle latitudes.