Effect of Southern Hemisphere Sudden Stratospheric Warmings on Antarctica Mesospheric Tides: First Observational Study

We analyzed the structure and variability of observed winds and tides in the Antarctica mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) during the 2002 major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) and the 2010 minor SSWs. We noted the effect of SSW on the variability of MLT tides for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere, although it has been well recognized in the Northern Hemisphere. We utilized the winds measured by Rothera (68°S, 68°W) medium frequency radar and King Sejong Station (62.22°S, 58.78°W) meteor radar for estimating the tidal components (diurnal, semi‐diurnal, and ter‐diurnal) in the MLT region. The unusual behavior of diurnal tide (DT) and semidiurnal tide (SDT) was observed in 2002. Zonal SDT amplitudes were enhanced up to 27 m/s after 18 days from the associated SSW day. However, the meridional tidal amplitudes of both DT and SDT suddenly decreased during the peak SSW, and SDT amplitudes slightly increased to 18 m/s afterward. In the normal years, SDT amplitude stays below 15 m/s. During the 2010 SSW, SDT zonal amplitudes increased up to 40 m/s and 50 m/s at altitudes of 80 km and 90 km, respectively, ~30 days after the associated SSW. Similar but weaker effect is noticed in the meridional components. The ter‐diurnal tide does not show any significant variation during the SSW. The two SSWs offered a challenging issue to answer: why tidal amplitudes are enhanced with a delay after the SSW. The reasons for the delay are discussed in accordance with theoretical predictions. Key Points The 2002 major and 2010 minor SSWs over Southern Hemisphere showed a significant effect on the mesospheric tides after a few days of SSW The ozone variability during SSWs reveals that the mesospheric tides were less predisposed by the ozone presence than other mechanisms The secondary waves generated by planetary wave‐tidal interaction cause a major effect on the mesospheric tides after the SSW event