Neutral wind and temperature in the upper mesosphere above South Pole, Antarctica

Abstract

The neutral wind and temperature of the upper mesosphere above Amundsen‐Scott Station (South Pole) have been optically determined from the emission of naturally‐occurring OH tracer molecular species. The results show that quasi‐periodic oscillations occur on these fields at near semidiurnal frequencies. In addition, the steady component of the winds indicates that the center of the polar vortex, at mesospheric heights, is displaced from the geographic pole. Examination of the data suggests that the observed oscillations are caused by the transport of lower‐latitude tidal oscillations by ducting processes.