The global-scale effect of small-scale thermospheric disturbances

✍ Scribed by Roger W Smith

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 151 KB
• Volume: 62
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1364-6826
• DOI: 10.1016/s1364-6826(00)00123-1

✦ Synopsis

Thermospheric behavior at high latitudes is well described at large spatial and long temporal scales by current thermospheric general circulation models. On the other hand, many small-scale horizontal and vertical motions observed from space and the ground do not appear in simulations by these models or in versions with a nested grid. This paper reviews small-scale motions which include strong vertical components and small-scale structures in the horizontal wind ÿeld. Synthesizing from available data sources, some general patterns of vertical wind disturbance are derived. These suggest that the variability often seen in observations of neutral wind and temperature at high latitudes can frequently be due to waves downstream of strong vertical disturbances. It is also concluded that since the general circulation models do not include the small-scale activity and its expected upward transport of molecular species, they must be underestimating the consequent ionospheric and radiant heat losses at F-region altitudes.