Variability of MLT winds and waves over mid-latitude during the 2000/2001 and 2009/2010 winter stratospheric sudden warming

Abstract

The mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) wind structure over Wuhan (30 N, 114 E) in 2000/2001 winter and over Langfang (39.4 N, 116.6 E) in 2009/2010 winter are examined to reveal the effects of stratospheric sudden warming (SSW) in mid-low-latitude MLT region. The result shows that the MLT daily zonal wind over these two sites reversed from eastward wind to westward wind for several days during the SSW events. The reversals were almost coincident with the polar stratospheric temperature reaching its maximum at 10 hPa, 90 N and were about ten days prior to the reversal of high latitude stratospheric zonal wind at 10 hPa, 60 N. The temporal variations of tides, gravity waves and 2-day planetary waves in the mid-latitude MLT showed different behavior during the two SSW events. During the 2001 SSW event, MLT diurnal tide reached its maximum when the MLT zonal wind decreased rapidly and SSW event began in polar stratosphere; the activity of 2-day waves decreased after the onset of the 2001 SSW, while the gravity wave increased when the 2001 SSW developed into a major warming. However, in the 2009/2010 winter, the semidiurnal tide and 2-day wave in MLT over Langfang reached a peak about two days earlier than zonal wind reversal at 10 hPa, 60 N; no significant features were found in diurnal tides, terdiurnal tides and gravity waves related to the 2010 SSW event. © Author (s) 2012.