LUNAR TIDES IN THE MESOSPHERE OVER CHRISTMAS ISLAND (2-DEGREES-N, 203-DEGREES-E)

This paper reports the first measurement of the lunar tide in upper at mosphere winds at an equatorial site. Wind velocities have been measur ed at Christmas Island, in the Pacific Ocean, from 1990 to 1993 over t he height range 82 to 98 km and hourly values have been used to deduce the lunar tide using a least squares method. Amplitudes are 1 to 3 mi s with only small changes in phase with season. A large phase change o ver the early part of 1990 was found in the northward wind. Generally, the phase difference between northward and eastward winds was about 6 hours, and good agreement was obtained with a tidal model developed f rom that of Forbes [1982a].