Response of mesosphere and lower thermosphere wind over mid-latitude to the 2013 major sudden stratospheric warming event

Abstract

In this paper we report atmospheric wind variations during the 2013 major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event at Langfang (39.4°N, 116.7°E). The wind measurements by Langfang meteor radar and UK Meteorological Office (UKMO) wind data are combining used to present their anomalous behaviors response to the event. These winds reveal significant anomalies in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) zonal wind over mid-latitude corresponding to the 2013 major warming by comparing to the observations in 2010/2011 when no major warming occurred and could be considered as the normal condition. Results show that the westward wind at 60°N during 2013 major SSW was first observed between 40 km and 53 km and then extended to lower stratosphere and mesosphere. Over mid-latitude, the eastward wind reversed to westward during January 4–15, 2013 at about 80 km with the maximum value of 48.4 m/s on January 11 by UKMO data, while the reversals of MLT daily mean zonal wind persisted from January 8 to 14 observed by meteor radar with the maximum value of 40.2 m/s at 98 km also on January 11. The period of this wind reversal and the date of the maximum wind actually coincide with the mesospheric response at high latitude to the 2013 major warming. These observations and analysis document clearly the impact of a major SSW on the MLT dynamics over the mid-latitude.