Observations of mean winds and tides in the upper mesosphere during 1980–1984, using the Poker Flat, Alaska, MST radar as a meteor radar

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Abstract
A postprocessing selection algorithm is used to determine the meteor echoes detected on the Poker Flat, Alaska, MST radar (65°N, 147°W) from a composite data base consisting of meteor and turbulence echoes. The echo distributions depend on the geometry of the antenna beams, the presence of strong turbulence echoes, average power transmitted, and the number of coherent averages used in the signal processing. Winds are derived from the meteor echoes and are used to compute monthly mean winds and tides in the upper mesosphere. These results are consistent with previous high‐latitude observations. Tidal amplitudes are largest in summer and weakest in winter. The tides exhibit large month‐to‐month variability, although the seasonal averages in 1983 are in agreement with those of 1984. The semidiurnal tide exhibits a dramatic phase shift of approximately 180° from October to November in both years. Results suggest future enhancement of the MST wind data can be achieved with real‐time meteor echo detection.