Fast meridional transport in the lower thermosphere by planetary-scale waves

Observations showed that the main engine water exhaust plumes from space shuttles released at ̃110. km altitude from Florida could be transported over thousands of kilometers northward or southward, reaching the Arctic after a day or so, and in one case Antarctica after three days (Stevens et al., 2003, 2005). In this work, we study the meridional transport associated with the quasi-two-day wave (QTDW) and migrating tides. Diagnostic calculations are performed to trace the particle trajectories using winds from the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Mesosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIME-GCM) simulations for January, when the amplitude of the QTDW usually peaks. The calculations demonstrate that the mean meridional circulation, a QTDW or a migrating tide cannot individually sustain planetary-scale meridional transport for one to three days, but the combined effects of a QTDW and a tide can. In particular, when the QTDW and the tides are scaled according to the observed amplitudes, particles released at ̃110. km and appropriate longitudes/local times can undergo transport fast enough to reach Antarctica within three days as observed. The magnitude and direction of the transport depend on the amplitudes and phases of the tides and the QTDW. These simulations thus suggest that the observed rapid planetary-scale meridional transport of the shuttle main engine plume can be driven by planetary waves and tides.