Tides in the Earth's Upper Atmosphere

The NASA Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), which operated between 1991 and 2005, provided unprecedented insight into the dynamics of the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Among other insights, UARS revealed the ubiquitous and persistent signatures of solar atmospheric tides in the mesopause region and their day-to-day, seasonal, inter-annual and longitudinal variabilities. These insights laid the groundwork for follow-on investigations of tidal effects in the mesosphere, thermosphere, and ionosphere that continue to this day. This presentation will highlight recent insights into the sources and signatures of upper atmospheric tidal variability in the context of some seminal UARS results, including select contributions from the research portfolio of Professor Marvin Geller. Strategies to address unresolved issues will be discussed in the context of missions that are currently in development along with reference missions envisioned for the future.