Responses of Quasi 2 Day Waves in the MLT Region to the 2013 SSW Revealed by a Meteor Radar Chain

Abstract

Abstract We present an analysis of the responses of quasi 2 day waves (QTDWs) to the 2013 sudden stratosphere warming (SSW) in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region. The study is based on data collected by a meteor radar chain along the 120°E meridian in the Northern Hemisphere which consists of four stations at Mohe (52.5°N, 122.3°E), Beijing (40.3°N, 116.2°E), Wuhan (30.5°N, 114.6°E), and Sanya (18.3°N, 109.6°E). It is the first time that an enhancement of the QTDW in the neutral wind during the 2013 SSW is observed in the midlatitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. During the SSW, the amplification of the QTDW in the low latitudes is the most prominent and the direction of the mean zonal wind shows clear reversion from eastward to westward. The consistent variations of the QTDWs and the mean neutral wind at the four stations are very likely associated with the SSW.