LATITUDE AND SEASONAL DEPENDENCE OF THE SEMIDIURNAL TIDE OBSERVED BY THE HIGH-RESOLUTION DOPPLER IMAGER

The high resolution Doppler imager (HRDI) on the upper atmosphere research satellite (UARS) has provided measurements of the horizontal wind field in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) since November 1991. The observed dynamical patterns are dominated by the (1,1) diurnal tide, but semidiurnal perturbations are also very prominent in the HRDI data particularly at latitudes greater than 40 degrees. This paper presents a preliminary study of the semidiurnal tide and discusses latitudinal and seasonal variations in the phenomenon. Regular seasonal changes are clearly detected, and significant interhemispheric asymmetries have been identified. In general, the observed features are consistent with previous measurements and model results, but some discrepancies have been found. This new technique, which brings a global perspective to the observation of MLT dynamics, is complementary to the very detailed but localized radar data sets currently available and should provide important constraints for numerical models.