Direct observations of nonmigrating diurnal tides in the equatorial thermosphere

We present direct observations of nonmigrating diurnal tides in the 90-270 km range inferred from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) wind imaging interferometer (WINDII). A prominent zonal wavenumber 4 appears in daytime zonal winds, extending to 180 km. We interpret this signature as an eastward-propagating diurnal wavenumber 3 (DE3) viewed from the satellite perspective. This evidence of the extended upward propagation of DE3 demonstrates that it acts as a direct coupling agent between the troposphere and the thermosphere (and F-region), in addition to its role in the E-region dynamo. Citation: Talaat, E. R., and R. S. Lieberman (2010), Direct observations of nonmigrating diurnal tides in the equatorial thermosphere, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L04803, doi: 10.1029/2009GL041845.