Variations of mesospheric neutral winds and tides observed by a meteor radar chain over China during the 2013 sudden stratospheric warming

The neutral winds in the mesospheric and lower thermospheric region obtained from a meteor radar chain within the latitudinal range of 18–53°N were decomposed to examine the latitudinal structures of the tides and mean winds during the sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event in 2013. The zonal wind reversed from eastward to westward and the westward wind was larger at middle latitudes than that at low latitudes during the SSW. Meanwhile, a sharp increase in the northward wind was noticeable at all stations. The amplitudes of the diurnal and semidiurnal tides decreased from 5 to 13 January and increased subsequently. At the same time, the terdiurnal tides increased in amplitude, especially at Beijing, Wuhan, and Kunming, in response to the SSW. Moreover, the tidal phases showed a large shift that corresponded to a great increase in tidal wavelengths in the semidiurnal and terdiurnal components. The wavelet analysis further revealed that the quasi 6‐day wave oscillations dominated in the winds at Kunming and Sanya stations, as well as the quasi 16‐day wave dominated in the zonal wind, and the quasi 11‐day and 16‐day waves were prevailing in the meridional winds at Beijing and Wuhan. In the same vein, the quasi 16‐day and quasi 11‐day waves were prominent in the zonal and meridional winds during 1–18 January at Mohe. Therefore, the tide‐planetary wave interactions played a significant role in modulating the behaviors of the mesospheric and lower thermospheric dynamics during the SSW event.