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Sixteen year variation of horizontal phase velocity and propagation direction of mesospheric and thermospheric waves in airglow images at Shigaraki, Japan
Author(s) -
Takeo D.,
Shiokawa K.,
Fujinami H.,
Otsuka Y.,
Matsuda T. S.,
Ejiri M. K.,
Nakamura T.,
Yamamoto M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9402
pISSN - 2169-9380
DOI - 10.1002/2017ja023919
Subject(s) - airglow , thermosphere , atmospheric sciences , gravity wave , mesopause , geology , phase velocity , altitude (triangle) , ionosphere , zonal and meridional , troposphere , geophysics , climatology , gravitational wave , mesosphere , physics , astrophysics , optics , stratosphere , geometry , mathematics
We analyzed the horizontal phase velocity of gravity waves and medium‐scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) by using the three‐dimensional fast Fourier transform method developed by Matsuda et al. (2014) for 557.7 nm (altitude: 90–100 km) and 630.0 nm (altitude: 200–300 km) airglow images obtained at Shigaraki MU Observatory (34.8°N, 136.1°E, dip angle: 49°) over ∼16 years from 16 March 1999 to 20 February 2015. The analysis of 557.7 nm airglow images shows clear seasonal variation of the propagation direction of gravity waves in the mesopause region. In spring, summer, fall, and winter, the peak directions are northeastward, northeastward, northwestward, and southwestward, respectively. The difference in east‐west propagation direction between summer and winter is probably caused by the wind filtering effect due to the zonal mesospheric jet. Comparison with tropospheric reanalysis data shows that the difference in north‐south propagation direction between summer and winter is caused by differences in the latitudinal location of wave sources due to convective activity in the troposphere relative to Shigaraki. The analysis of 630.0 nm airglow images shows that the propagation direction of MSTIDs is mainly southwestward with a minor northeastward component throughout the 16 years. A clear negative correlation is seen between the yearly power spectral density of MSTIDs and F 10.7 solar flux. This negative correlation with solar activity may be explained by the linear growth rate of the Perkins instability and secondary wave generation of gravity waves in the thermosphere.