Response of neutral mesospheric density to geomagnetic forcing

Abstract

We report an analysis of the neutral mesosphere density response to geomagnetic activity from January 2016 to February 2017 over Antarctica. Neutral mesospheric densities from 85 to 95 km are derived using data from the Davis meteor radar (68.5°S, 77.9°E) and the Microwave Limb Sounder on the Aura satellite. Spectral and Morlet wavelet analyses indicate that a prominent oscillation with a periodicity of 13.5 days is observed in the mesospheric density during the declining phase of solar cycle 24 and is associated with variations in solar wind high-speed streams and recurrent geomagnetic activity. The periodic oscillation in density shows a strong anticorrelation with periodic changes in the auroral electrojet index. These results indicate that a significant decrease in neutral mesospheric density as the geomagnetic activity enhances.