A comparison of the climatic variability in the stratosphere and ionosphere related to planetary waves

Kurzfassung

Planetary Waves (PW) are large scale waves with typical periods between 2- and 30 days and a few thousand kilometres wavelength. Their propagation conditions are determined by middle atmosphere dynamics which, in turn, are affected by PW. Experimental evidence indicates that PW also impact the F2-Region ionosphere, even though modelling could only prove an upward propagation to about 110 km altitude. PW parameters are analysed from gridded middle atmospheric and ionospheric datasets using space-time analysis. The variability and trends of the middle atmosphere are studied using the assimilation data from UK Met Office and reanalyses from NCEP/NCAR. Regarding the ionosphere, northern hemispheric total electron content maps, produced by the DLR Neustrelitz since 2002, are analysed concerning PW type oscillations (PWTO). The use of differential TEC could efficiently reduce the strong solar, seasonal, and latitudinal influence on TEC variations and allow the examination of PWTO. The comparison of both studies examines the assumed correlation between the stratospheric PW and the ionospheric PWTO. Generally, coincidences in the seasonal dependence of the wave activity could be found. The data set from 2002 to 2007 permits first assumptions about the trends in the PWTO activity.