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Interannual variability of the 12-hour tide in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere in 15 years of meteor-radar observations above Rothera (68°S, 68°W)
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  • Shaun Martin Dempsey,
  • Phoebe E Noble,
  • Tracy Moffat-Griffin,
  • Corwin James Wright,
  • Nicholas Mitchell
Shaun Martin Dempsey
University of Bath, University of Bath, University of Bath

Corresponding Author:smd62@bath.ac.uk

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Phoebe E Noble
University of Bath, University of Bath, University of Bath
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Tracy Moffat-Griffin
British Antarctic Survey, British Antarctic Survey, British Antarctic Survey
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Corwin James Wright
University of Bath, University of Bath, University of Bath
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Nicholas Mitchell
University of Bath, University of Bath, University of Bath
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Abstract

The tides of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) show great variability on timescales of days to years, with significant variability at interannual timescales. However, the nature and causes of this variability remain poorly understood. Here, we present measurements made over the interval 2005 to 2020 of the interannual variability of the 12-hour tide as measured at heights of 80 to 100 km by a meteor radar over the British Antarctic Survey base at Rothera (68°S, 68°W). We use a linear regression analysis to investigate correlations between the 12-hour tidal amplitudes and several climate indices, specifically the solar cycle (as measured by F10.7 solar flux), El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) at 10 hPa and 30 hPa, the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) and investigate any linear trends. Our observations reveal that the 12-hour tide has a large amplitude and a clearly defined seasonal cycle with monthly mean values as large as 35 ms-1. We observe substantial interannual variability, exhibiting an interdecile range in monthly mean tidal amplitudes at the height of 95 km in spring of 17.2 ms-1, 12.6 ms-1 in summer, 23.6 ms-1 in autumn and 9.0 ms-1 in winter. We find that F10.7, QBO10, QBO30, SAM and time all have significant correlations at the 95% level, whereas we detect very minimal correlation with ENSO. These results suggest that variations in F10.7, the QBO and SAM may contribute significantly to the interannual variability of tidal amplitudes in the Antarctic MLT.