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The sudden enhancement in the mesospheric neutral metal layers (Ns) has been studied in different latitudes for decades. Specifically, at 23°S, Sodium Ns layers have been analyzed since their first observation at the end of the seventies. Several studies have reported Sodium Ns during events of energetic particle precipitation (EPP) and the formation of auroral-type sporadic E (Esa) layers at high-latitude stations. The Esa layers are also observed in the Brazilian low-latitude sector during the EPP events due to the South American Magnetic Anomaly (SAMA). However, despite extensive studies on the SAMA region, no reports exist about the co-occurrence of the Ns layer and the Esa layer. Therefore, in the present work, for the first time, we observed on 26 April 2023 a peculiar Ns layer event synchronously occurring with the development of the Esa layer in the SAMA region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the established LIDAR chain along the 120°E meridian in China, the gravity wave (GW) activity between 80 and 105 km and the seasonal behavior of temporal and spatial spectra at Beijing, Hefei and Hainan were studied with three years of continued observations. The averaged GW-induced atmospheric density perturbations are near 6%, which in summer are obviously larger than in winter. The semiannual maxima occur near the solstice and the minimum emerges around the equinox at different latitudes. Besides, as a disparity, the density perturbation of GW is still active considerably in winter at low latitude at Hainan. The spectra of vertical wave number Fa(m) and observed frequency Fa(ω) show power law shapes, of which the average is near −3 and −1.7, respectively, and both spectra with special values all exhibit similar seasonal behavior as the atmospheric density perturbations shows. This behavior is explained by multiple effects possibly originating from Tibet plateau (TP) and the main GW source in China was roughly calculated by the LIDAR observation method for the first time located at the TP boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During spring and autumn and at low and middle latitudes, the westward winds below HT ht 45 km or above HT ht 70 km surround the eastward winds at HT ht 45-70 km. Among the composite years, the eastward differences with peaks of HT ht 45 m s HT ht occur at HT ht 60-80 km during May-August in the SH. During spring (March, April) and autumn (September, October), the westward winds, which occur at low and middle latitudes and below HT ht 45 km or above HT ht 70 km, are separated by eastward winds at HT ht 45-70 km. 5b and c) vary from HT ht 3 to HT ht 8 m s HT ht with increasing heights. [Extracted from the article]

Zonal winds in the stratosphere and mesosphere play important roles in the atmospheric dynamics and aeronomy. However, the direct measurement of winds in this height range is difficult. We present a dataset of the monthly mean zonal wind in the height range of 18-100 km and at latitudes of 50°S-50°N from 2002 to 2019, which is derived by the gradient balance wind theory and the temperature and pressure observed by the SABER instrument. The tide alias above 80 km at the equator is replaced by the monthly mean zonal wind measured by a meteor radar at 0.2°S. The dataset (named as BU) is validated by comparing with the zonal wind from MERRA2 (MerU), UARP (UraU), HWM14 empirical model (HwmU), meteor radar (MetU) and lidar (LidU) at seven stations from 53.5°N to 29.7°S. At 18-70 km, BU and MerU have (1) nearly identical zero wind lines, (2) year-to-year variations of the eastward/westward wind jets at middle and high latitudes, (3) the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) and semi-annual oscillation (SAO), especially the anormal QBO in early 2016. The comparisons among BU, UraU and HwmU show good agreement in general below 80 km. Above 80 km, the agreements among BU, UraU, HwmU, MetU and LidU are good in general, except some discrepancies at limited heights and months. The BU data are archived as netCDF files and can be available at https://dx.doi.org/10.12176/01.99.00574 (Liu et al., 2021). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tidal and Planetary Wave (PWs) amplitudes are strongly influenced by Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) events. A nonlinear interaction between the tidal winds and planetary waves during the SSW may contribute to the intensification of sporadic-E (Es) layers in the lower thermosphere. This work investigated the relationship between SSW events in the Northern Hemisphere and the Es layer occurrence at low latitudes in the Brazilian sector. We used data from digital ionosondes installed in the observatories of Araguatins (ARA, 5.65° S; 48.12° W; dip lat. −5.44°) and São José dos Campos (SJC, 23.18° S; 45.89° W; dip lat. −21.37°) to analyze the Es layers. Additionally, we used the temperature, zonal wind, and PWs data at high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere during the major SSW event that occurred in February/2018 and during the events of Dec/2018–Jan/2019 and Dec/2020–Jan/2021. The results showed a maximum frequency peak of 20 MHz (∼5 × 106 electrons.cm−3) at ARA and SJC during these SSW events. The large values of ftEs , fbEs , and electronic densities were observed between 100 and 115 km height in the E s f / l type layers during daytime or nighttime periods. The results also showed that the number of large values of ftEs , fbEs , and electronic density of the Es layer was much higher in ARA than in SJC, in general. The wavelet power spectrum analyses of the ftEs and fbEs showed a periodicity of 2-days before and after the central day of the SSWs events at the station of ARA, with three prominent peaks in the 2018/2019 event. At the SJC station the quasi-2-day periodicity in the wavelet analyses of the ftEs was observed after the central day in all three SSW events, with a peak before the central day during the 2020/2021 event. • Tidal and Planetary Wave (PWs) dynamics are strongly modified during SSW events. • The nonlinear interaction between tides and PWs may contribute to the formation of strong Es layers. • Wavelet analysis of the ftEs and fbEs parameters showed the presence of quasi-2- and quasi-6-day periodicities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the prevailing tidal winds in the E region are generated by heating mechanisms, the dynamics of Es layers impacted by solar tides is a relevant theme in the space weather studies. This paper aims to identify the tidal wind component involved in the mechanism of formation and descending of the high type of sporadic layer (Es h). The Es h layers observed at altitudes between around 120 and 150 km in the Brazilian low latitude stations of Jataí and São José dos Campos during the months of April, June, September and December of 2016 are used in this analysis. The height variability and altitude descent of the Es h layers are analyzed from the h ′Es parameter obtained by ionosonde data. In this study, the observational data are compared with the simulations generated by an extended version of the Ionospheric E-Region Model (MIRE). At higher altitudes in the E region, the results show that the prevailing tidal pattern and wind direction controlling the Es h layer formation and descent are different depending on month: (a) in April and June the zonal wind component and the associated semidiurnal tidal oscillations prevail, with some differences in terms of time of occurrence and descending speeds, and (b) in September and December the diurnal tidal periodicities become dominant, and both the meridional and zonal wind components seem to control the descending of the Es h layers. Since the role of the tidal periodicities and wind directions changed depending on the month, the results suggest a possible seasonal tidal wind pattern, which is not well understood from the present study but requires further investigation. Other relevant aspects of the observations and the modeling are highlighted and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]