Mauna Loa Observatory Research Articles

Modeling clear‐sky solar radiation across a range of elevations in Hawai‘i: Comparing the use of input parameters at different temporal resolutions

Estimates of clear sky global solar irradiance using the parametric model SPCTRAL2 were tested against clear sky radiation observations at four sites in Hawai‘i using daily, mean monthly, and 1 year mean model parameter settings. Atmospheric parameters in SPCTRAL2 and similar models are usually set at site‐specific values and are not varied to represent the effects of fluctuating humidity, aerosol amount and type, or ozone concentration, because time‐dependent atmospheric parameter estimates are not available at most sites of interest. In this study, we sought to determine the added value of using time dependent as opposed to fixed model input parameter settings. At the AERONET site, Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO) on the island of Hawai‘i, where daily measurements of atmospheric optical properties and hourly solar radiation observations are available, use of daily rather than 1 year mean aerosol parameter values reduced mean bias error (MBE) from 18 to 10 W m−2 and root mean square error from 25 to 17 W m−2. At three stations in the HaleNet climate network, located at elevations of 960, 1640, and 2590 m on the island of Maui, where aerosol‐related parameter settings were interpolated from observed values for AERONET sites at MLO (3397 m) and Lāna‘i (20 m), and precipitable water was estimated using radiosonde‐derived humidity profiles from nearby Hilo, the model performed best when using constant 1 year mean parameter values. At HaleNet Station 152, for example, MBE was 18, 10, and 8 W m−2 for daily, monthly, and 1 year mean parameters, respectively.

Boreal forests contribution to global seasonal dynamic of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

Over the past few decades the global carbon cycle has become the topic of great interest and the role of CO2 in the future climate changes has been extensively and contradictorily discussed. The most important objective of biosphere investigations is to assess how the continuously increasing human-caused inflow of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere will influence the climate system and biospheric processes. Our aim is to answer the important question – what is the contribution of boreal forests in total carbon circulation. The proposed global biota climate dynamics model gives a possible answer to this question. Verification of this model was based on the measurement data on the global dynamics of atmospheric carbon dioxide obtained in the Mauna Loa Observatory and on global net primary production (NPP) values obtained by remote sensing (model MODIS-NPP).

Properties of air mass mixing and humidity in the subtropics from measurements of the D/H isotope ratio of water vapor at the Mauna Loa Observatory

[1] Water vapor in the subtropical troposphere plays an important role in the radiative balance, the distribution of precipitation, and the chemistry of the Earth's atmosphere. Measurements of the water vapor mixing ratio paired with stable isotope ratios provide unique information on transport processes and moisture sources that is not available with mixing ratio data alone. Measurements of the D/H isotope ratio of water vapor from Mauna Loa Observatory over 4 weeks in October–November 2008 were used to identify components of the regional hydrological cycle. A mixing model exploits the isotope information to identify water fluxes from time series data. Mixing is associated with exchange between marine boundary layer air and tropospheric air on diurnal time scales and between different tropospheric air masses with characteristics that evolve on the synoptic time scale. Diurnal variations are associated with upslope flow and the transition from nighttime air above the marine trade inversion to marine boundary layer air during daytime. During easterly trade wind conditions, growth and decay of the boundary layer are largely conservative in a regional context but contribute ∼12% of the nighttime water vapor at Mauna Loa. Tropospheric moisture is associated with convective outflow and exchange with drier air originating from higher latitude or higher altitude. During the passage of a moist filament, boundary layer exchange is enhanced. Isotopic data reflect the combination of processes that control the water balance, which highlights the utility for baseline measurements of water vapor isotopologues in monitoring the response of the hydrological cycle to climate change.

Measuring Total Column Water Vapor by Pointing an Infrared Thermometer at the Sky

A 2-yr study affirms that the temperature indicated by an inexpensive ($20–$60) IR thermometer pointed at the cloud-free zenith sky (Tz) is a proxy for total column water vapor [precipitable water (PW)]. From 8 September 2008 to 18 October 2010 Tz was measured either at or near solar noon, and occasionally at night, at a field in south-central Texas. PW was measured by a MICROTOPS II sun photometer. The coefficient of correlation (r2) of PW and Tz was 0.90, and the rms difference was 3.2 mm. A comparison of Tz with PW from a GPS site 31 km northnortheast yielded an r2 of 0.79 and an rms difference of 5.8 mm. An expanded study compared Tz from eight IR thermometers with PW at various times during the day and night from 17 May to 18 October 2010, mainly at the Texas site, with an additional 10 days at Hawaii's Mauna Loa Observatory. The best results were provided by two IR thermometers that yielded an r2 of 0.96 and an rms difference with PW of 2.7 mm. The results of both the ongoing 2-yr study and the 5-month comparison show that IR thermometers can measure PW with an accuracy (rms difference/mean PW) approaching 10%, which is the accuracy typically ascribed to sun photometers. The simpler IR method, which works during both day and night, can be easily mastered by students, amateur scientists, and cooperative weather observers.

Sensitivity of Dobson and Brewer Umkehr ozone profile retrievals to ozone cross-sections and stray light effects

Abstract. Remote sounding methods are used to derive ozone profile and column information from various ground-based and satellite measurements. Vertical ozone profiles measured in Dobson units (DU) are currently retrieved based on laboratory measurements of the ozone absorption cross-section spectrum between 270 and 400 nm published in 1985 by Bass and Paur (BP). Recently, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) proposed using the set of ozone cross-section measurements made at the Daumont laboratory in 1992 (BDM) for revising the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME) satellite ozone profiles and total ozone column retrievals. Dobson Umkehr zenith sky data have been collected by NOAA ground-based stations at Boulder, CO (BDR) and Mauna Loa Observatory, HI (MLO) since the 1980s. The UMK04 algorithm is based on the BP ozone cross-section data. It is currently used for all Dobson Umkehr data processing submitted to the World Ozone and Ultraviolet radiation Data Centre (WOUDC) under the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) program of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Ozone profiles are also retrieved from measurements by the Mark IV Brewers operated by the NOAA-EPA Brewer Spectrophotometer UV and Ozone Network (NEUBrew) using a modified UMK04 algorithm (O3BUmkehr v.2.6, Martin Stanek). This paper describes the sensitivity of the Umkehr retrievals with respect to the proposed ozone cross-section changes. It is found that the ozone cross-section choice only minimally (within the retrieval accuracy) affects the Dobson and the Brewer Umkehr retrievals. On the other hand, significantly larger errors were found in the MLO and Boulder Umkehr ozone data (−8 and +5% bias in stratosphere and troposphere respectively) when the out-of-band (OOB) stray light contribution to the Umkehr measurement is not taken into account (correction is currently not included in the UMK04). The vertical distribution of OOB effect in the retrieved profile can be related to the local ozone climatology, instrument degradation, and optical characteristics of the instrument. Nonetheless, recurring OOB errors do not contribute to the long-term ozone trends.

Temperature trends at the Mauna Loa observatory, Hawaii

Abstract. Observations at the Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii, established the systematic increase of anthropogenic CO2 in the atmosphere. For the same reasons that this site provides excellent globally averaged CO2 data, it may provide temperature data with global significance. Here, we examine hourly temperature records, averaged annually for 1977–2006, to determine linear trends as a function of time of day. For night-time data (22:00 to 06:00 LST (local standard time)) there is a near-uniform warming of 0.040 °C yr−1. During the day, the linear trend shows a slight cooling of −0.014 °C yr−1 at 12:00 LST (noon). Overall, at Mauna Loa Observatory, there is a mean warming trend of 0.021 °C yr−1. The dominance of night-time warming results in a relatively large annual decrease in the diurnal temperature range (DTR) of −0.050 °C yr−1 over the period 1977–2006. These trends are consistent with the observed increases in the concentrations of CO2 and its role as a greenhouse gas (demonstrated here by first-order radiative forcing calculations), and indicate the possible relevance of the Mauna Loa temperature measurements to global warming.

Effects of surface reflectance on skylight polarization measurements at the Mauna Loa Observatory

An all-sky imaging polarimeter was deployed in summer 2008 to the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii to study clear-sky atmospheric skylight polarization. The imager operates in five wavebands in the visible and near infrared spectrum and has a fisheye lens for all-sky viewing. This paper describes the deployment and presents comparisons of the degree of skylight polarization observed to similar data observed by Coulson with a principal-plane scanning polarimeter in the late 1970s. In general, the results compared favorably to those of Coulson. In addition, we present quantitative results correlating a variation of the maximum degree of polarization over a range of 70-85% to fluctuation in underlying surface reflectance and upwelling radiance data from the GOES satellite.

Middle atmosphere temperature trend and solar cycle revealed by long-term Rayleigh lidar observations

[1] The long-term temperature profile data sets obtained by Rayleigh lidars at three different northern latitudes within the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change were used to derive the middle atmosphere temperature trend and response to the 11 year solar cycle. The lidars were located at the Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii (MLO, 19.5°N); the Table Mountain Facility, California (TMF, 34.4°N); and the Observatoire de Haute Provence, France (OHP, 43.9°N). A stratospheric cooling trend of 2–3 K/decade was found for both TMF and OHP, and a trend of ≤0.5 ± 0.5 K/decade was found at MLO. In the mesosphere, the trend at TMF (3–4 K/decade) was much larger than that at both OHP and MLO (<1 K/decade). The lidar trends agree well with earlier satellite and rocketsonde trends in the stratosphere, but a substantial discrepancy was found in the mesosphere. The cooling trend in the upper stratosphere at OHP during 1981–1994 (∼2–3 K/decade) was much larger than that during 1995–2009 (≤0.8 K/decade), coincident with the slightly increasing upper stratospheric ozone density after 1995. Significant temperature response to the 11 year solar cycle was found. The correlation was positive in both the stratosphere and mesosphere at MLO and TMF. At OHP a wintertime negative response in the upper stratosphere and a positive response in the middle mesosphere were observed during 1981–1994, but the opposite behavior was found during 1995–2009. This behavior may not be a direct solar cycle response at all but is likely related to an apparent response to decadal variability (e.g., volcanoes, modulated random occurrence of sudden stratospheric warmings) that is more complex.

Trend filtering via empirical mode decompositions

The problem of filtering low-frequency trend from a given time series is considered. In order to solve this problem, a nonparametric technique called empirical mode decomposition trend filtering is developed. A key assumption is that the trend is representable as the sum of intrinsic mode functions produced by the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) of the time series. Based on an empirical analysis of the EMD, an automatic procedure for selecting the requisite intrinsic mode functions is proposed. To illustrate the effectiveness of the technique, it is applied to simulated time series containing different types of trend, as well as real-world data collected from an environmental study (atmospheric carbon dioxide levels at Mauna Loa Observatory) and from a bicycle rental service (rental numbers of Grand Lyon Vélo’v).

Estimate of bias in Aura TES HDO/H&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;O profiles from comparison of TES and in situ HDO/H&amp;lt;sub&amp;gt;2&amp;lt;/sub&amp;gt;O measurements at the Mauna Loa observatory

Abstract. The Aura satellite Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) instrument is capable of measuring the HDO/H2O ratio in the lower troposphere using thermal infrared radiances between 1200 and 1350 cm−1. However, direct validation of these measurements is challenging due to a lack of in situ measured vertical profiles of the HDO/H2O ratio that are spatially and temporally co-located with the TES observations. From 11 October through 5 November 2008, we undertook a campaign to measure HDO and H2O at the Mauna Loa observatory in Hawaii for comparison with TES observations. The Mauna Loa observatory is situated at 3.1 km above sea level or approximately 680 hPa, which is approximately the altitude where the TES HDO/H2O observations show the most sensitivity. Another advantage of comparing in situ data from this site to estimates derived from thermal IR radiances is that the volcanic rock is heated by sunlight during the day, thus providing significant thermal contrast between the surface and atmosphere; this thermal contrast increases the sensitivity to near surface estimates of tropospheric trace gases. The objective of this inter-comparison is to better characterize a bias in the TES HDO data, which had been previously estimated to be approximately 5 % too high for a column integrated value between 850 hPa and 500 hPa. We estimate that the TES HDO profiles should be corrected downwards by approximately 4.8 % and 6.3 % for Versions 3 and 4 of the data respectively. These corrections must account for the vertical sensitivity of the TES HDO estimates. We estimate that the precision of this bias correction is approximately 1.9 %. The accuracy is driven by the corrections applied to the in situ HDO and H2O measurements using flask data taken during the inter-comparison campaign and is estimated to be less than 1 %. Future comparisons of TES data to accurate vertical profiles of in situ measurements are needed to refine this bias estimate.

기후변화감시센터의 대기 중 2007년 육불화황 측정 결과 및 특성

Korea Global Atmosphere Watch Center (KGAWC), which is located in Anmyeondo and, belongs to the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA), measures sulfur hexafluoride () in every hour since 2007. In this study, observed in 2007 are discussed. A gas chromatograph-electron capture detector (GC-ECD) with pre-cooled device is applied during the observation, and produced data are qualified by means of periodic calibration with standard gas made by Korea Research Institute of Standard and Science (KRISS). has been greatly paid attention since Kyoto protocol because of its high global warming potential(GWP) with 22,200 times of in the period of 100 years. It is a man-made compound and has been usually used for gas insulation since 1970s and for etching process in the information technology-based industry since 1990. Average mixing ratio of in 2007 was 6.65 pmol/mol at Anmyeondo. According to the GAW report published in 2008, average mixing ratio of in the atmosphere is continuously growing. At present, the average mixing ratio of in the atmosphere is known to be approximately 6.25 pmol/mol at global observatory. value in Anmyeondo shows 0.40 pmol/mol greater than that of the Mauna Loa observatory in 2007.

Hydrogen isotope correction for laser instrument measurement bias at low water vapor concentration using conventional isotope analyses: application to measurements from Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii

The hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios of water vapor can be measured with commercially available laser spectroscopy analyzers in real time. Operation of the laser systems in relatively dry air is difficult because measurements are non-linear as a function of humidity at low water concentrations. Here we use field-based sampling coupled with traditional mass spectrometry techniques for assessing linearity and calibrating laser spectroscopy systems at low water vapor concentrations. Air samples are collected in an evacuated 2 L glass flask and the water is separated from the non-condensable gases cryogenically. Approximately 2 µL of water are reduced to H(2) gas and measured on an isotope ratio mass spectrometer. In a field experiment at the Mauna Loa Observatory (MLO), we ran Picarro and Los Gatos Research (LGR) laser analyzers for a period of 25 days in addition to periodic sample collection in evacuated flasks. When the two laser systems are corrected to the flask data, they are strongly coincident over the entire 25 days. The δ(2)H values were found to change by over 200‰ over 2.5 min as the boundary layer elevation changed relative to MLO. The δ(2)H values ranged from -106 to -332‰, and the δ(18)O values (uncorrected) ranged from -12 to -50‰. Raw data from laser analyzers in environments with low water vapor concentrations can be normalized to the international V-SMOW scale by calibration to the flask data measured conventionally. Bias correction is especially critical for the accurate determination of deuterium excess in dry air.

Statistical properties of record-breaking temperatures

A record-breaking temperature is the highest or lowest temperature at a station since the period of time considered began. The temperatures at a station constitute a time series. After the removal of daily and annual periodicities, the primary considerations are trends (i.e., global warming) and long-range correlations. We first carry out Monte Carlo simulations to determine the influence of trends and long-range correlations on record-breaking statistics. We take a time series that is a Gaussian white noise and give the classic record-breaking theory results for an independent and identically distributed process. We then carry out simulations to determine the influence of long-range correlations and linear temperature trends. For the range of fractional Gaussian noises that are observed to be applicable to temperature time series, the influence on the record-breaking statistics is less than 10%. We next superimpose a linear trend on a Gaussian white noise and extend the theory to include the effect of an additive trend. We determine the ratios of the number of maximum to the number of minimum record-breaking temperatures. We find the single governing parameter to be the ratio of the temperature change per year to the standard deviation of the underlying white noise. To test our approach, we consider a 30 yr record of temperatures at the Mauna Loa Observatory for 1977-2006. We determine the temperature trends by direct measurements and use our simulations to infer trends from the number of record-breaking temperatures. The two approaches give values that are in good agreement. We find that the warming trend is primarily due to an increase in the (overnight) minimum temperatures, while the maximum (daytime) temperatures are approximately constant.

Sunspot temperatures from red and blue photometry

AbstractPhotometric images are used to measure the temperature of sunspots at different wavelengths. Images at 672.3 nm and 472.3 nm are obtained at the San Fernando Observatory using the CFDT2 (2.5” x 2.5” pixels). Images at 607.1 nm and 409.4 nm are obtained by the PSPT at Mauna Loa Observatory. Monochromatic intensities are converted to temperatures as in Steinegger et al (1990). The pixel by pixel temperature for a sunspot is converted into a bolometric contrast for that sunspot according to Chapman et al (1994). Sunspot temperatures, i.e., their bolometric contrasts, are calculated from both red (672.3 nm) and blue wavelengths (472.3 nm) and compared.

Seasonal and interannual variability of gravity wave activity revealed by long‐term lidar observations over Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii

The seasonal and interannual variability of gravity wave (GW) variance in the upper stratosphere (35–50 km) and lower mesosphere (48–63 km) has been studied using 10.5 years (January 1997 to June 2007) of temperature profile results obtained with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Rayleigh lidar at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii (19.5°N, 155.6°W). Seasonal variability with a maximum in winter and a minimum in summer was observed in the upper stratosphere, suggesting dominance of the annual oscillation. In the lower mesosphere the seasonal oscillations of GW variance were dominated by a semiannual oscillation (SAO), likely due to the selective filtering of GWs by the tropical upper stratospheric SAO wind. Modulation of GW variance by the quasi‐biennial oscillation was clearly present only for the long vertical wavelength band in the upper stratosphere, and not in the lower mesosphere. The United Kingdom Met Office zonal mean zonal wind further supports that enhanced GW activity in the upper stratosphere corresponds to the westerly shear phase of the zonal wind at 10 hPa (∼30 km), and suppressed activity corresponds to the easterly shear phase. During the strong El Niño event in the winter of 1997–1998, enhanced GW activity was observed only in the lower mesosphere, and not in the upper stratosphere. Additional enhancement of GW variance, especially clear in the upper stratosphere, was also found during 2001–2002 and winter 2005–2006.

Strong signature of the active Sun in 100 years of terrestrial insolation data

AbstractTerrestrial solar irradiance data of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory from 1905 to 1954 and of Mauna Loa Observatory from 1958 to 2008 are analyzed. The analysis shows that, with changing solar activity, the atmosphere modifies the solar irradiance on the percentage level, in all likelihood via cosmic ray intensity variations produced by the active sun. The analysis strongly suggests that cosmic rays cause a large part of the atmospheric aerosols. These aerosols show specific absorption and scattering properties due to an inner structure of hydrated ionic centers, most probably of O2‐ and O2+ produced by the cosmic rays.

Climatology of aerosol optical depth in north‐central Oklahoma: 1992–2008

Aerosol optical depth (AOD) has been measured at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program central facility near Lamont, Oklahoma, since the fall of 1992. Most of the data presented are from the multifilter rotating shadowband radiometer, a narrow‐band, interference‐filter Sun radiometer with five aerosol bands in the visible and near infrared; however, AOD measurements have been made simultaneously and routinely at the site by as many as three different types of instruments, including two pointing Sun radiometers. Scatterplots indicate high correlations and small biases consistent with earlier comparisons. The early part of this 16 year record had a disturbed stratosphere with residual Mt. Pinatubo aerosols, followed by the cleanest stratosphere in decades. As such, the last 13 years of the record reflect changes that have occurred predominantly in the troposphere. The field calibration technique is briefly described and compared to Langley calibrations from Mauna Loa Observatory. A modified cloud‐screening technique is introduced that increases the number of daily averaged AODs retrieved annually to about 250 days compared with 175 days when a more conservative method was employed in earlier studies. AODs are calculated when the air mass is less than six; that is, when the Sun's elevation is greater than 9.25°. The more inclusive cloud screen and the use of most of the daylight hours yield a data set that can be used to more faithfully represent the true aerosol climate for this site. The diurnal aerosol cycle is examined month‐by‐month to assess the effects of an aerosol climatology on the basis of infrequent sampling such as that from satellites.

Taiwan Automated Telescope Network

A global network of small automated telescopes, the Taiwan Automated Telescope (TAT) network, dedicated to photometric measurements of stellar pulsations, is under construction. Two telescopes have been installed in Teide Observatory, Tenerife, Spain and Maidanak Observatory, Uzbekistan. The third telescope will be installed at Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii, USA. Each system uses a 9‐cm Maksutov‐type telescope. The effective focal length is 225 cm, corresponding to an f‐ratio of 25. The field of view is 0.62 degree square. The images are taken with a 16‐bit 1024 × 1024 CCD camera. The telescope is equipped with UBVRI filters. Each telescope is fully automated. The telescope can be operated either interactively or fully automatically. In the interactive mode, it can be controlled through the Internet. In the fully automatic mode, the telescope operates with preset parameters without any human care, including taking dark frames and flat frames. The network can also be used for studies that require continuous observations for selected objects.

Observations of heterogeneous reactions between Asian pollution and mineral dust over the Eastern North Pacific during INTEX-B

Abstract. In-situ airborne measurements of trace gases, aerosol size distributions, chemistry and optical properties were conducted over Mexico and the Eastern North Pacific during MILAGRO and INTEX-B. Heterogeneous reactions between secondary aerosol precursor gases and mineral dust lead to sequestration of sulfur, nitrogen and chlorine in the supermicrometer particulate size range. Simultaneous measurements of aerosol size distributions and weak-acid soluble calcium result in an estimate of 11 wt% of CaCO3 for Asian dust. During transport across the North Pacific, ~5–30% of the CaCO3 is converted to CaSO4 or Ca(NO3)2 with an additional ~4% consumed through reactions with HCl. The 1996 to 2008 record from the Mauna Loa Observatory confirm these findings, indicating that, on average, 19% of the CaCO3 has reacted to form CaSO4 and 7% has reacted to form Ca(NO3)2 and ~2% has reacted with HCl. In the nitrogen-oxide rich boundary layer near Mexico City up to 30% of the CaCO3 has reacted to form Ca(NO3)2 while an additional 8% has reacted with HCl. These heterogeneous reactions can result in a ~3% increase in dust solubility which has an insignificant effect on their optical properties compared to their variability in-situ. However, competition between supermicrometer dust and submicrometer primary aerosol for condensing secondary aerosol species led to a 25% smaller number median diameter for the accumulation mode aerosol. A 10–25% reduction of accumulation mode number median diameter results in a 30–70% reduction in submicrometer light scattering at relative humidities in the 80–95% range. At 80% RH submicrometer light scattering is only reduced ~3% due to a higher mass fraction of hydrophobic refractory components in the dust-affected accumulation mode aerosol. Thus reducing the geometric mean diameter of the submicrometer aerosol has a much larger effect on aerosol optical properties than changes to the hygroscopic:hydrophobic mass fractions of the accumulation mode aerosol. In the presence of dust, nitric acid concentrations are reduced to &lt;50% of total nitrate (nitric acid plus particulate nitrate). NOy as a fraction of total nitrogen (NOy plus particulate nitrate), is reduced from &gt;85% to 60–80% in the presence of dust. These observations support previous model studies which predict irreversible sequestration of reactive nitrogen species through heterogeneous reactions with mineral dust during long-range transport.

Seasonal oscillations of middle atmosphere temperature observed by Rayleigh lidars and their comparisons with TIMED/SABER observations

The long‐term temperature data sets obtained by Rayleigh lidars at six different locations from low to high latitudes within the Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change (NDACC) were used to derive the annual oscillations (AO) and semiannual oscillations (SAO) of middle atmosphere temperature: Reunion Island (21.8°S); Mauna Loa Observatory, Hawaii (19.5°N); Table Mountain Facility, California (34.4°N); Observatoire de Haute Provence, France (43.9°N); Hohenpeissenberg, Germany (47.8°N); Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland (67.0°N). The results were compared with those derived from the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument onboard the Thermosphere‐Ionosphere‐Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite. The zonal mean temperatures at similar latitudes show good agreement. The observations also reveal that the AO dominates the seasonal oscillations in both the stratosphere and the mesosphere at middle and high latitudes, with the amplitudes increasing poleward. The SAO oscillations are weaker at all six sites. The oscillations in the upper mesosphere are usually stronger than those in the upper stratosphere with a local minimum near 50–65 km. The upper mesospheric signals are clearly out of phase with upper stratospheric signals. Some differences between lidar and SABER results were found in both the stratosphere and mesosphere. These could be due to: the difference in data sampling between ground‐based and space‐based instruments, the length of data set, the tidal aliasing owing to the temperature AO and SAO since lidar data are nighttime only, and lidar temperature analysis algorithms. The seasonal oscillations of tidal amplitudes derived from SABER observations suggests that the tidal aliasing of the lidar temperature AO and SAO in the upper mesosphere may over‐ or under‐estimate the real temperature oscillations, depending on the tidal phases. In addition, the possibly unrealistic seasonal oscillations embedded in the climatological models (e.g., MSIS or CIRA) at the reference point for lidar temperature analysis may also affect the lidar results in the top part of the profiles (usually in the upper mesosphere).