Quasi-16-day period oscillations observed in middle atmospheric ozone and temperature in Antarctica

Abstract

Abstract. Nightly averaged mesospheric temperature derived from the hydroxyl nightglow at Rothera station (67°34' S, 68°08' W) and nightly midnight measurements of ozone mixing ratio obtained from Troll station (72°01' S, 2°32' E) in Antarctica have been used to investigate the presence and vertical profile of the quasi-16-day planetary wave in the stratosphere and mesosphere during the Antarctic winter of 2009. The variations caused by planetary waves on the ozone mixing ratio and temperature are discussed, and spectral and cross-correlation analyses are performed to extract the wave amplitudes and to examine the vertical structure of the wave from 34 to 80 km. The results show that while planetary-wave signatures with periods 3–12 days are strong below the stratopause, the oscillations associated with the 16-day wave are the strongest and present in both the mesosphere and stratosphere. The period of the wave is found to increase below 42 km due to the Doppler shifting by the strong eastward zonal wind. The 16-day oscillation in the temperature is found to be correlated and phase coherent with the corresponding oscillation observed in O3 volume mixing ratio at all levels, and the wave is found to have vertical phase fronts consistent with a normal mode structure.