Longitudinal structures of zonal wind in the thermosphere by the ICON/MIGHTI and the main wave sources

Abstract

In this study, the neutral wind observations from the Michelson Interferometer for Global High-resolution Thermospheric Imaging (MIGHTI) instrument onboard Ionospheric CONnections (ICON) are used to investigate the longitudinal structure of zonal wind between 100 and 300 km during daytime. The four-peaked structure in the longitudinal distribution between June and August is visually clear in the whole altitudinal range. The longitudinal wavenumber 1–4 patterns (WN1–WN4) are extracted, and the altitude–month distributions of WN1–WN4 and their contributions to the longitudinal structure are compared. The amplitudes of WN3 and WN4 show seasonal dependence, and the amplitude of WN4 exhibits obvious vertical propagation from the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) to the upper thermosphere in summer and autumn. WN1 is an important contributor to the longitudinal structure, WN4 is the primary contributor in the lower altitude ranges in summer and autumn at three latitudes. The contributions of WN3 (WN1) increase holistically with latitude in summer (spring, autumn, and winter). And the main wave sources of WN1–WN4 are further investigated in the 100–106 km and 210–300 km altitude regions. The main wave sources of WN1 and WN2 have complex variations with altitude, latitude, and season, while WN3 (WN4) is clearly influenced by DE2 (DE3 and SE2). Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].