Seasonal variation of ionospheric winds over Barbados, West Indies

With the completion of the wind data reduction of the two eight-trail nights in September 1966 and February 1967, an analysis of the seasonal variation can be made of the complete set of six multitrail nights. A remarkable feature of the wind profiles measured in September 1966 was the predominance of a wind direction clockwise rotation with increasing altitude. This rotation has been frequently observed at temperate latitudes but has occurred for only three isolated Barbados profiles of the previous analyzed group of 49 profiles. Although substantial fluctuation in zonal flow was observed throughout a night, the mean nocturnal profiles show surprising consistency. A pair of mean zonal profiles for September nights a year apart showed good agreement, and a pair of February profiles showed excellent agreement. These nocturnal mean profiles indicated a monsoonal reversal between September and winter flows and a null point for zonal flow at 105 km.