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Continuous observations of polar mesosphere summer echoes at heights from 81–93 km were performed using the first Mesosphere‐Stratosphere‐Troposphere/Incoherent Scatter radar in the Antarctic over the three summer periods of 2013/2014, 2014/2015, and 2015/2016. Power spectra of horizontal and vertical wind fluctuations, and momentum flux spectra in a wide‐frequency range from (8 min)−1 to (20 days) −1 were first estimated for the Antarctic summer mesosphere. The horizontal (vertical) wind power spectra obey a power law with an exponent of approximately −2 (−1) at frequencies higher than the inertial frequency of (13 h)−1 and have isolated peaks at about 1 day and a half day. In addition, an isolated peak of a quasi‐2 day period is observed in the horizontal wind spectra but is absent from the vertical wind spectra, which is consistent with the characteristics of a normal‐mode Rossby‐gravity wave. Zonal (meridional) momentum flux spectra are mainly positive (negative), and large fluxes are observed in a relatively low‐frequency range from (1 day)−1 to (1 h)−1. A case study was performed to investigate vertical profiles of momentum fluxes associated with gravity waves and time mean winds on and around 3 January 2015 when a minor stratospheric warming occurred in the Northern Hemisphere. A significant momentum flux convergence corresponding to an eastward acceleration of ~200 m s−1 d−1 was observed before the warming and became stronger after the warming when mean zonal wind weakened. The strong wave forcing roughly accorded with the Coriolis force of mean meridional winds.

This study estimated the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rates (TKEDRs) from 1‐year observations of the Program of the Antarctic Syowa Mesosphere‐Stratosphere‐Troposphere/Incoherent Scatter radar (PANSY radar) from October 2015 to September 2016 and compared the results with estimates from radiosonde measurements based on Thorpe's method. The radar‐based estimates showed that the TKEDR at Syowa Station was on the order of 10−5–10−3 m2/s3 in the altitude range of 1.5–19 km. Taking the proportional constant for Thorpe's method (the ratio of the Thorpe scale to Ozmidov scale) as unity, the radiosonde‐based measurements show values of TKEDR larger than radar‐based estimates by a factor of 2–5. The difference in the TKEDR between radiosonde‐ and radar‐based estimates is larger in the middle and upper troposphere than in the stratosphere. According to previous observational and numerical studies, Thorpe's method tends to overestimate the TKEDR for deep overturning layers. It is confirmed that the depth of the overturning layer is negatively correlated with the difference between radiosonde‐ and radar‐based estimates. The seasonal variation was also examined. An analysis using the distance from the local tropopause level showed that the local maximum in the TKEDR around the tropopause is particularly clear in austral summer. This is likely connected to the seasonality in the gravity wave activity in the Antarctic stratosphere.

Abstract. The first observations made by a complete PANSY radar system (Program of the Antarctic Syowa MST/IS Radar) installed at Syowa Station (39.6° E, 69.0° S) were successfully performed from 16 to 24 March 2015. Over this period, quasi-half-day period (12 h) disturbances in the lower mesosphere at heights of 70 to 80 km were observed. Estimated vertical wavelengths, wave periods and vertical phase velocities of the disturbances were approximately 13.7 km, 12.3 h and −0.3 m s−1, respectively. Under the working hypothesis that such disturbances are attributable to inertia–gravity waves, wave parameters are estimated using a hodograph analysis. The estimated horizontal wavelengths are longer than 1100 km, and the wavenumber vectors tend to point northeastward or southwestward. Using the nonhydrostatic numerical model with a model top of 87 km, quasi-12 h disturbances in the mesosphere were successfully simulated. We show that quasi-12 h disturbances are due to wave-like disturbances with horizontal wavelengths longer than 1400 km and are not due to semidiurnal migrating tides. Wave parameters, such as horizontal wavelengths, vertical wavelengths and wave periods, simulated by the model agree well with those estimated by the PANSY radar observations under the abovementioned assumption. The parameters of the simulated waves are consistent with the dispersion relationship of the inertia–gravity wave. These results indicate that the quasi-12 h disturbances observed by the PANSY radar are attributable to large-scale inertia–gravity waves. By examining a residual of the nonlinear balance equation, it is inferred that the inertia–gravity waves are likely generated by the spontaneous radiation mechanism of two different jet streams. One is the midlatitude tropospheric jet around the tropopause while the other is the polar night jet. Large vertical fluxes of zonal and meridional momentum associated with large-scale inertia–gravity waves are distributed across a slanted region from the midlatitude lower stratosphere to the polar mesosphere in the meridional cross section. Moreover, the vertical flux of the zonal momentum has a strong negative peak in the mesosphere, suggesting that some large-scale inertia–gravity waves originate in the upper stratosphere.

We report height and time variations in polar mesosphere winter echoes (PMWE) based on the Program of the Antarctic Syowa mesosphere‐stratosphere‐troposphere/incoherent scatter (PANSY) radar observations. PMWE were identified for 110 days from March to September 2013. PMWE occurrence frequency increased abruptly in May when two solar proton events occurred. PMWE were also observed even during periods without any solar proton events, suggesting that a possible cause of the PMWE is ionization by energetic electron precipitations. The monthly mean PMWE characteristics showed that occurrence of PMWE were mainly restricted to sunlit time. This fact indicates that electrons detached from negatively charged particles play an important role. While PMWE below 72 km in altitude completely disappeared before sunset, it was detected above that altitude for a few hours even after sunset. This height dependence in the altitude range of 60–80 km can be explained qualitatively by empirical effective recombination rates.