Spectral Structure of Temperature Variations in the Midlatitude Mesopause Region

Abstract

Long-term series of midnight temperature in the mesopause region have been obtained from spectral observations of hydroxyl airglow emission (OH(6-2) λ840 nm band) at the Tory station (52° N, 103° E) in 2008–2016 and Zvenigorod (56° N, 37° E) station in 2000–2016. On their basis, the Lomb-Scargle spectra of the variations in the period range from ~12 days to ~11 years have been determined. Estimates of the amplitudes of statistically significant temperature fluctuations are made. The dominant oscillations are the first and second harmonics of the annual variation, the amplitudes of which are 23–24 K and 4–7 K, respectively. The remaining variations, the number of which was 16 for the Tory and 22 for Zvenigorod stations, have small amplitudes (0.5–3 K). Oscillations with combinational frequencies, which arise from modulation of the annual variation harmonics, are observed in a structure of the variation spectra in addition to interannual oscillations (periods from ~2 to ~11 years) and harmonics of the annual variation (up to its tenth harmonic).