Identification

Title

Observations and simulations of midlatitude ionospheric and thermospheric response to the January 2013 stratospheric sudden warming event

Abstract

Using observations from midlatitudes, we examine the ionospheric and thermospheric responses to the 2013 stratospheric sudden warming event by comparing data with four simulations performed by the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model eXtended (WACCM-X), Thermosphere-Ionosphere Mesosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIMEGCM), and Thermosphere-Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIEGCM). The WACCM-X simulation was nudged by the GEOS-5 data. The two TIMEGCM simulations were nudged by the Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications data and by the aforementioned WACCM-X outputs, respectively. The standard TIEGCM simulation was also performed. These four simulations were compared with Millstone Hill (42.6 degrees N, 71.4 degrees W) incoherent scatter radar data, Millstone Hill and Boulder (40.1 degrees N, 105.2 degrees W) upper and lower thermospheric wind data. The meteor radar data from Collm (51.3 degrees N, 13 degrees E) were also used to examine the zonal wave number of the semidiurnal tide (SD). We evaluate the model simulations of the mesospheric and thermospheric responses to the 2013 SSW. The TIMEGCM simulation nudged with the WACCM-X output has suitable stratospheric input and ionospheric dynamics and can reproduce a sharp rise of h(m)f(2) on January 12 observed by the Millstone Hill radar. The comparison of different models with the lower thermospheric SD tide yielded mixed results. The SD tide maintained mostly as a migrating tide for most of the time and matched the TIEGCM simulation very well. The WACCM-X appeared to perform better when the observed SD tide displays the large phase shift. It also has larger and more variable SD tide amplitude. The two TIMEGCM simulations have smaller SD amplitudes in general. Observations showed complex SD tide patterns after 20 January, which was difficult to characterize as a migrating tidal mode.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7x068sd

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

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keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

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South bounding latitude

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Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-09-01T00:00:00Z

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Conformity

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Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact