Atmospheric tides observed at Grahamstown (33.3°S, 26.5°E)

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Scientific paper

In the first study of its kind in Southern Africa, seven years worth of data (1987-1993) obtained with the Grahamstown (33.3°S, 26.5°E) meteor radar are used to give a picture of the interannual and seasonal characteristics of the zonal prevailing wind and the (diurnal and semidiurnal) atmospheric solar tides over the height range approximately 85-100 km. The results, though averaged over this height range, are generally consistent with the mode behaviour expected in terms of currently preferred models and with data obtained at other sites with similar latitude (Adelaide: 34.5°S, 138.5°E) or longitude (Yambol: 42.5°N, 26.6°E), but there are some differences with global-scale satellite data. Discrepancies, where they occur, are discussed and possible explanations advanced. The diurnal tide emerges as the stronger of the two but shows greater interannual variability. Features common to both tides are annual maxima in autumn and the fact that the zonal oscillation is usually of larger amplitude than its meridional counterpart. Although the zonal component generally leads, indicating the expected anticlockwise polarisation in the Southern Hemisphere, there is deviation from classical quadrature suggesting a possible meridional transport of angular momentum in this region. The zonal prevailing wind is persistently eastward. It is found to influence both the amplitude and phase of the diurnal tide but has no obvious effect on the semidiurnal tide.

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