Short‐Term to Inter‐Annual Variability of the Non‐Migrating Tide DE3 From MIGHTI, SABER, and TIDI: Potential Tropospheric Sources and Ionospheric Impacts.

Upward propagating waves of lower atmospheric origin play an important role in coupling terrestrial weather with space weather on daily to inter‐annual timescales. Quantifying their short‐term (<30 days) variability is a difficult challenge because simultaneous observations at multiple local times are needed to sample diurnal cycles. This study demonstrates and validates a short‐term estimation method of the DE3 non‐migrating tide at the equator and then applies the technique to three independent data sets: MIGHTI, SABER, and TIDI. We find that daily DE3 estimates from SABER, MIGHTI, and TIDI at equator agree well with correlation coefficients ranging between 0.76 and 0.85. The daily DE3 amplitude variability is typically ∼7 m/s in zonal winds and ∼3 K in temperature. We also find that daily MLT variations and F‐region ionospheric DE3 from COSMIC‐2 Global Ionospheric Specification (GIS) show a correlation of 0.55–0.65, suggesting that not all ionospheric variability can be attributed to the E‐region dynamo; however, increasing correlation with increasing time‐scale suggests that lower atmospheric variability has pronounced impact on the ionosphere on intra‐seasonal scales. We find that the MLT and the F‐region ionosphere exhibit strong coherent intra‐seasonal oscillations (residual amplitudes upto 50%–60%); their coherency with the MJO in 2020 suggests a possible modulation of the upward propagating DE3 tide related to this major tropical tropospheric weather pattern. In addition, we find stratospheric QBO signatures in the MLT DE3 on inter‐annual scales. This study offers fresh observational insights into the pivotal role of tropospheric weather in shaping variability in the coupled thermosphere‐ionosphere system. Plain Language Summary: A growing body of research unequivocally demonstrates the important role upward propagating waves from the lower atmosphere play in shaping the meteorology of the mesosphere, thermosphere and ionosphere from daily to inter‐annual time scales. Understanding these variations is crucial for space weather studies and applications, including radio wave propagation, satellite communication, and space orbital debris. Among these oscillations, the diurnal eastward propagating tide with zonal wave number 3 (DE3) holds particular importance. This oscillation, driven by expansive tropospheric weather systems, can attain substantial amplitudes in the upper atmosphere. The primary objective of this study is to demonstrate and validate a methodology facilitating the short‐term estimation of DE3 to understand the tidal weather of the upper atmosphere. Our approach starts by using a physics‐based model of the upper atmosphere to test and validate this new daily DE3 retrieval method. Next, we apply our tidal estimation method to extensive satellite‐based measurements of winds, temperatures, and ionospheric electron density. Lastly, we analyze the results to provide fresh observational insights into the pivotal role of tropospheric weather on Earth's near space environment from daily to inter‐annual time scales. Key Points: Demonstrated and validated a short‐term DE3 tidal estimation technique at the equatorDaily DE3 tidal amplitude variability at the equator is typically ∼7 m/s in zonal winds and ∼3 K in temperatureStrong intra‐seasonal variations in MLT region DE3 and F‐region ionosphere electron densities possibly due to the MJO are observed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]