First observation of mesosphere response to the solar wind high-speed streams

Abstract

We present a first analysis of 9 and 6.75 day periodic oscillations observed in the neutral mesospheric density in 2005 and 2006. Mesospheric densities near 90 km are derived using data from the Davis meteor radar (68.5°S, 77.9°E; magnetic latitude, 74.6°S), Antarctica. Spectral analysis indicates that the pronounced periodicities of 9 and 6.75 days observed in the mesosphere densities are associated with variations in solar wind high‐speed streams and recurrent geomagnetic activity. Neutral mesospheric winds and temperatures, simultaneously measured by the Davis meteor radar, also exhibit 9 and 6.75 day periodicities. A Morlet wavelet analysis shows that the time evolution of the 9 and 6.75 day oscillations in the neutral mesosphere densities and winds are similar to those in the solar wind and in planetary magnetic activity index, Kp in 2005 and 2006. These results demonstrate a direct coupling between Sun's corona (upper atmosphere) and the Earth's mesosphere.