A Comparison of MLT Wind between Meteor Radar Chain and SD-WACCM Results

Abstract

A meteor radar chain located along the 120°E meridian in the Northern Hemisphere from low to middle latitudes provides long-term horizontal wind observations of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region. In this study, we report a seasonal variation and its latitudinal feature in the horizontal mean wind in the MLT region observed by 6 meteor radars located at Mohe (53.5°N, 122.3°E), Beijing (40.3°N, 116.2°E), Mengcheng (33.4°N, 116.5°E), Wuhan (30.6°N, 114.4°E), Kunming (25.6°N, 108.3°E) and Fuke (19.5°N, 109.1°E) stations. In addition, we compare the MLT wind measured by the meteor radars and the simulated by Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM). In general, the WACCM appears to well capture the seasonal and latitudinal variations in the zonal wind component. Especially, the temporal evolution of the eastward zonal wind maximum shifts from July to May as the latitude decreases. However, the WACCM meridional wind show differences with the meteor radar observations.