Open AccessTides in the mesopause region over Fort Collins, Colorado (41°N, 105°W) based on lidar temperature observations covering full diurnal cycles
Author(s) -
She C. Y.,
Chen Songsheng,
Williams B. P.,
Hu Zhilin,
Krueger David A.,
Hagan M. E.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: atmospheres
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.67
H-Index - 298
eISSN - 2156-2202
pISSN - 0148-0227
DOI - 10.1029/2001jd001189
Subject(s) - mesopause , amplitude , diurnal cycle , atmospheric sciences , lidar , zonal and meridional , atmospheric tide , altitude (triangle) , climatology , phase (matter) , environmental science , diurnal temperature variation , mesosphere , geology , thermosphere , stratosphere , physics , geophysics , remote sensing , ionosphere , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics
Eighteen sets of 24‐hour continuous lidar temperature observation, well distributed throughout the year, have been analyzed to reveal the mean amplitude and phase of oscillations with 24‐, 12‐, 8‐, and 6‐hour periods for four seasons. The amplitude and phase of both 24‐ and 12‐hour components are compared to the prediction of the most recent global‐scale wave model (GSWM‐00). The variability of diurnal and semidiurnal oscillations is examined by comparing the amplitude and phases of each observed day in autumn, winter, and spring. Even with the limited data sets reported here, surprisingly good general agreement between the observed and model tidal phases can be established, implicating the prevalence of migrating diurnal and semidiurnal tides. Compared to the diurnal and semidiurnal phases, which typically show clear downward phase progression, the 8‐ and 6‐hour components exhibit small amplitude and show unorganized phase propagation as a function of altitude. The advantage of having coverage over complete diurnal cycle and entire mesopause altitudes as demonstrated here would hopefully stimulate future tidal studies with lidar temperature, and zonal and meridional wind observations.