6:15 PM - 7:30 PM
[PEM06-P03] Gravity wave activity in a wide height range of 65-110km over Syowa st. (69S), Antarctica
Keywords:atmospheric gravity waves, mesosphere and lower thermosphere, Antarctica, MF radar, Syowa station
In this study we try to estimate seasonal behavior of gravity wave activity over Syowa in a wide height range from 65 to 110km using the accumulated 16 years of data. Gravity wave activity is estimated in two ways. One is a commonly used wave variance estimation technique based on time series of wind velocities [e.g., Vincent, 1994]. Hourly mean winds are used for the purpose in the present study. The other is a recently developed technique by Mitchel and Beldon [2009], where residuals after the hourly mean wind estimation are used as a proxy of short period wave activity. The former and the latter correspond to wave periods longer and shorter than about two hours, respectively. Obtained wave activities show a broad winter time maximum and summer time minimum in both wave periods, which is consistent with previous results in the mesosphere over Antarctica [Dowdy et al.,2007]. We further found that wave activities above 100 km are enhanced in late summer to early winter in both wave periods, which has not been known so far. Details of these features are discussed in the presentation.