Mean winds of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere at 52° N in the period 1988?2000

H. R. Middleton (1) , N. J. Mitchell (1) , H. G. Muller (2)

1 Department of Physics [Aberystwyth]
2 Cranfield University

A meteor radar in the UK (near 52° N) has been used to measure the mean winds of the mesosphere/lower-thermosphere (MLT) region over the period 1988?2000. The seasonal course and interannual variability is characterised and comparisons are made with a number of models. Annual mean wind trends were found to be + 0.37 ms^-1 yr^-1 for the zonal component and + 0.157 ms^-1 yr^-1 for the meridional component. Seasonal means revealed significant trends in the case of meridional winds in spring ( + 0.38 ms^-1 yr^-1) and autumn ( + 0.29 ms^-1 yr^-1), and zonal winds in summer ( + 0.48 ms^-1 yr^-1) and autumn ( + 0.38 ms^-1 yr^-1). Significant correlation coefficients, R, between the sunspot number and seasonal mean wind are found in four instances. In the case of the summer zonal winds, R = + 0.732; for the winter meridional winds, R = - 0.677; for the winter zonal winds, R = - 0.472; and for the autumn zonal winds R = + 0.508.

Domaines: Océan, Atmosphère; Sciences de la Terre

H. R. Middleton, N. J. Mitchell, H. G. Muller. Mean winds of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere at 52° N in the period 1988?2000. Annales Geophysicae, 2002, 20 (1), pp.81-91. ⟨hal-00316923⟩