Atmospheric tides and mean winds in the meteor region over Santa Maria (29.7°S; 53.8°W)

We compare meteor radar measurements of the MLT region winds at Santa Maria, Brazil (29.7°S, 53.8°W) with the Horizontal Neutral Wind Model (HWM-93) and the Global Scale Wave Model (GSWM-00). The observed annual variation of the prevailing zonal wind disagrees in some respects with the HWM-93 model. Also, the zonal diurnal tide amplitude shows an annual variation, whereas that of the GSWM-00 is semiannual, and its vertical wavelength is smaller than that suggested by the model. The observed semidiurnal tide shows seasonal and inter-annual variations and the phase is evanescent during almost the whole year.