Diurnal tide in the low-latitude troposphere and stratosphere: Long-term trends and role of the extended solar minimum

In the present study, long-term trends in the diurnal tide in the troposphere and stratosphere over a tropical station Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E) are investigated using ERA-Interim wind and temperature products available since 1979. Suitability of the ERA-Interim data for the present study is ascertained using simultaneous radiosonde and MST radar observations over Gadanki and good consistency was found between the two. In general, diurnal tide amplitudes are found to increase from troposphere to stratosphere, as expected. Amplitude of the diurnal tide shows a long-term linear increasing trend, which becomes prominent in the stratosphere. Interestingly, convection over Gadanki also exhibits an increasing trend suggesting that they are related. Role of solar cycle on the diurnal tide is investigated by separating the tidal amplitudes during minimum and maximum of solar cycles 21, 22 and 23. Significantly higher amplitudes in the recent extended solar minimum are noticed though no consistent relation is found between solar activity and tides, in general. These results are discussed in the light of role of convection on the generation of the diurnal tide and their propagation to the higher altitudes, coupling lower and middle atmospheres. Special emphasis is made on the observed large amplitudes of the diurnal tide in the extended solar minimum while relating the observed changes to the background circulation.