Mesopause Insights: Unraveling Temperature and Height Trends Through SABER/TIMED and SD WACCM X Simulations

Abstract

As human activities and climate change continue to affect the middle atmosphere, understanding long-term changes in atmospheric parameters has become critical. This study uses the data from the SABER/TIMED satellite to analyze global variations in mesopause temperature and height, and evaluates the performance of the Specified dynamics–Whole atmosphere community climate model extended (SD-WACCM X) in reproducing these variations. A bias correction using the cumulative distribution function Quantile mapping was applied to SD WACCM X data based on SABER observations. The correction reveals a positive bias of up to 9.2 K at specific altitudes in the Southern (94–102 km) and Northern (70–75 km) Polar regions, and up to 4.6 K in low-latitude areas (above 94 km) during January. Mesopause temperature exhibits a two-level structure, with an upper mesopause around 100 km and a lower one near 86 km, varying with latitude from 120 to 200 K. SD WACCM X generally underestimates mesopause height by 2%–17% in mid-latitude and polar summer regions. Long-term trends in mesopause height and temperature were also examined, factoring in solar cycles, and the quasi-biennial oscillations, with SABER data showing a negative temperature trend of −0.33 to −2.2 K per decade.