A climatology of planetary wave-driven mesospheric inversion layers in the extratropical winter

Mesospheric inversion layers (MILs) are a useful diagnostic to simultaneously investigate middle atmosphere radiation, chemistry, and dynamics in high‐top general circulation models. Climatologies of long‐lived extratropical winter MILs observed by the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) and the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) satellite instruments are compared to MILs in the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model (WACCM). In general, MIL location, amplitude, and thickness statistics in WACCM are in good agreement with the observations, though WACCM middle‐ and high‐latitude winter MILs occur 30%–50% more often than in MLS and SABER. This work suggests that planetary wave‐driven MILs may form as high as 90 km. In the winter, MILs display a wave‐1 pattern in both hemispheres, forming most often over the region where the climatological winter stratospheric anticyclones occur. These MILs are driven by the decay of vertically propagating planetary waves in the mesospheric surf zone in both observations and in the model. At the base of polar inversions there is climatological local ascent and cooling situated atop the stratospheric anticyclones, which enhances the cold base of the MILs near 60 km and 120°E longitude. Key Points Polar winter MILs in WACCM and observations show a maximum frequency near 180°E Midlatitude winter MILs tend to occur above anticylones Midlatitude winter MILs occur as a result of planetary wave decay