Correlations of mesospheric variability and their relation to the large-scale circulation during polar winter

WINDII data from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite show an integrated OH emission rate systematically increasing with decreasing airglow peak altitude. A Spectral Airglow Temperature Imager (SATI) at 74°N shows strong positive correlations between the integrated emission rate and the rotational OH temperature. Taken together, the two correlations are consistent with vertical motions of the mesopause region, over periods from hours to winter to winter. SABER data are consistent with these correlations. The O2 atmospheric band shows much weaker correlations. The SATI mesospheric temperatures also correlate with Resolute Bay temperatures for the 22.5 km level, a mesosphere-stratosphere relationship.