Wave activity of the mesosphere in the planetary wave range according to OH (3-1) emission observations at Maimaga and Tiksi stations for 2015–2020

Abstract

The article compares the interannual variability of the atmosphere at the OH glow height, which can be associated with planetary wave propagation, at stations spaced in latitude. As a characteristic reflecting planetary wave activity we consider standard deviations of the average overnight temperature σpw from its monthly average after taking into account the seasonal variation. Joint mesopause temperature measurements at high latitudes at two optical stations Maimaga (63.04° N, 129.51° E) and Tiksi (71.58° N, 128.77° E) began in 2015. The stations are equipped with identical Shamrock (Andor) high image quality infrared spectrographs for registration of OH (3-1) in the near infrared region (~1.5 μm). The main result of studying the planetary wave activity during the 5-year period of simultaneous observations is that at Tiksi station it slightly (by about 1–2 K) exceeds that at Maimaga station. In average annual activity fluctuations, the presence of quasi-biennial oscillations is traced.

Keywords

• planetary waves
• mesopause region
• hydroxyl