A Quantitative Assessment of Vertical Wave Energy Flux Due to Upward Propagating Tides

Atmospheric tides, generated by various processes in the lower atmosphere, play a vital role in the vertical coupling of the lower and upper atmosphere by transferring energy and momentum from their source regions to the altitudes of their dissipation. How much energy these upward propagating tides transport per unit time and area (vertical wave energy flux) is poorly known. Though a few studies have been conducted in the past to assess wave energy flux, most approaches were solely based on theory and models rather than on observations. To address this gap in observation-based assessment, we have computed the vertical wave energy flux due to upward propagating tides using the fluid dynamical equations with an observation-based approach. This approach utilizes the Climatological Tidal Model of the Thermosphere (CTMT), which is based on Hough Mode Extension (HME) fits to tidal wind and temperature observations from the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) mission between 80 and 110 km. The observation-based results indicate somewhat smaller vertical wave energy flux values than the models.