Solar cycle variations of the thermospheric meridional wind over Japan derived from measurements of hmF2

Abstract

This paper describes an analysis of the meridional equivalent neutral wind for geomagnetically quiet conditions as determined from data collected at the Kokubunji ionosonde station (35.7N, 139.5E), Japan over one solar cycle (1981–1991). The wind is derived from the altitude of peak F2 layer electron density using the Field Line Interhemispheric Plasma (FLIP) model. For low and moderate solar activity the wind is poleward in the daytime and equatorward in the nighttime. For high solar activity the wind is weak and almost always poleward throughout the day. In winter the local time of peak poleward velocity occurs in the afternoon for low solar activity but in the night for high solar activity. In summer the peak poleward wind occurs in the morning for all levels of solar activity. The diurnal amplitude decreases with increasing solar activity. It also reaches its maximum around the solstices and its minimum around the equinoxes. The mean wind is larger at solar maximum than solar minimum, except for the year 1984. The daily‐mean wind is smallest in summer and largest in winter. Qualitatively, the meridional wind at Asian midlatitudes has characteristics similar to those seen in other sectors (such as Millstone Hill, Boulder, Wallops Island, King George Island, and Saint‐Santin), but the details in behavior are different and warrant further investigation.