2.1
Space weather in the Earth's mesopause region
Maura E. Hagan, NCAR, Boulder, CO
The mesopause region (ca. 80-110 km) is a cold and curious place in the Earth's atmosphere. Temperatures therein are colder in summer and warmer in winter because gravity waves that propagate into the region from the lower atmosphere dissipate, depositing their energy and momentum and driving a residual circulation from the summer to winter hemispheres with upwelling and downwelling over the respective poles. Large and ubiquitous solar atmospheric tidal variations characterize the large-scale dynamics near the mesopause. These global waves also originate in the lower atmosphere and grow exponentially as they propagate upward. Solar geomagnetic disturbances can penetrate downward into the mesopause region and affect the quiescent dynamics and chemistry. This tutorial presentation will overview the space weather effects in the mesopause region and identify some of the challenges associated with quantifying these effects in both ground-based and satellite-borne observations. .
Session 2, Connections with Meteorology, Data Assimilation and User Needs (Room 617)
Tuesday, 13 January 2004, 1:45 PM-5:30 PM, Room 617
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