Wind & Temperature Structure of the Equatorial Middle Atmosphere

Abstract

The method of natural orthogonal components has been used to bring out the characteristic height variations in temperature, zonal and meridional winds of the equatorial middle atmosphere. The analysis is performed for two independent epochs to demonstrate the reliability of the results obtained from such a study. It is shown that the first three components when synthesized bring out the known features of seasonal changes. On the basis of the correlation analysis performed on the magnitude of the components, it has been possible to tentatively identify a Kelvin wave with a characteristic wavelength of around 30 km having a perceptible semi-annual variation. The analysis also demonstrates the existence of a number of other characteristic height profiles which need to be explained on the basis of a firm theory. Using relevant satellite data along with the rocket data may facilitate such an interpretation. The results obtained indicate that the technique can be fruitfully utilized in the IMAP investigations.