Open AccessQuasi‐biennial and higher‐period oscillations in the mean winds in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere over Saskatoon, 52°N, 107°W
Author(s) -
Kane R. P.,
Meek C. E.,
Manson A. H.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: space physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/1998ja900066
Subject(s) - thermosphere , zonal and meridional , atmospheric sciences , mesosphere , quasi biennial oscillation , stratosphere , climatology , middle latitudes , oscillation (cell signaling) , meridional flow , environmental science , geology , ionosphere , geophysics , biology , genetics
The mesospheric zonal and meridional winds over Saskatoon (52°N, 107°W) show significant QBO (quasi‐biennial oscillations), with periods of 2.01, 2.42, 2.30, 2.37, and 2.31 years at 94, 91, 88, 85, and 82 km, respectively, in the meridional (north) component and 2.51, 2.88, 2.52, 2.29, and 2.61 years in the zonal (east) component, mostly not matching with the QBO (∼2.50 years) of equatorial stratospheric winds. Also, significant higher periodicities (∼4 years) are seen in the mesospheric winds, indicating that QBO and higher periodicities in the midlatitude mesosphere could be highly distorted forms of stratospheric wind QBO and/or may have altogether different origins (e.g., El Niño‐Southern Oscillation effects).