Gravity wave variations in the polar stratosphere and mesosphere from SOFIE/AIM temperature observations

A 6 year (2007–2013) temperature data set from the Solar Occultation for Ice Experiment (SOFIE) onboard the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) satellite is used to extract gravity waves (GWs) in the polar stratosphere and mesosphere of both hemispheres. These data are continuous in the polar regions. The monthly mean GW potential energy (PE) increases exponentially with a scale height of ~13 km in the upper stratosphere and mesosphere. GWs are stronger in the winter than in the summer and exhibit strong annual variation. GWs are stronger in the southern polar region (SPR) than in the northern polar region (NPR) except in the summer months. This is likely because there are stronger and longer-lasting zonal wind jets in the SPR stratosphere, as revealed from Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) wind data. The longitudinal variations of PE in the winter polar stratosphere are consistent with the elevated regions. In the mesosphere, the longitudinal variations of PE do not vary with height significantly. The correlations between GW PE and the column ice water content (IWC, an indicator of the polar mesosphere cloud) exhibit longitudinal and annual variations.