A Comprehensive Study of Planetary-Scale Atmospheric Waves in the Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere As Observed By Timed/Saber

Guiping Liu, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States, Scott England, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Aerospace and Ocean Engineering, Blacksburg, United States, Thomas J Immel, University of California Berkeley, Space Sciences Laboratory, Berkeley, United States and Harald U Frey, University of California, Berkeley, Space Sciences Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, United States
Abstract:
A comprehensive study of planetary-scale atmospheric waves in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) is conducted by analyzing the multiple years of temperature observations from TIMED/SABER covering 2002-2011. Occurrences and properties of these waves are studied for various cases, with 62% of them are the zonal wavenumber-1 component, 20 % are the wavenumber-2 and 18% are the wavenumber-3. The mean wave amplitudes and vertical wavelengths are calculated to be 8 K and 30 km for the wavenumber-1, 5.5 K and 25 km for the wavenumber-2, and 5 K and 20 km for the wavenumber-3. These exhibit the signatures of planetary-scale atmospheric waves, which are believed to be important in the vertical coupling of the lower atmosphere with the ionosphere/thermosphere/mesosphere (ITM) system.
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