A study of temperature and meridional wind relationships at high northern latitudes

MLT (Mesosphere and Lower Thermosphere) temperatures were measured using ground-based instruments at two high latitude stations over several winters. Warmer temperatures in wintertime are known to arise from the large-scale hemispheric circulation that drives downwelling and upwelling in the MLT region, leading to accompanying adiabatic heating and cooling. Although a relationship between temperature and meridional wind is expected, it has not yet been properly demonstrated. The OH airglow temperatures measured with a SATI (Spectral Airglow Temperature Imager) instrument and a Michelson interferometer are compared with co-located radar wind measurements at Resolute Bay (75°N, 95°W) and Esrange (68°N, 21°E), respectively. The temperature and meridional wind have a positive relationship that is consistent with the large-scale circulation, but the zonal wind is only weakly correlated.