HR: 09:20h
AN: SM41A-05 INVITED     [PDF]
TI: The Penetration of Solar Storm Effects Into the Earth's Atmosphere
AU: * Hagan, M E
EM: hagan@ucar.edu
AF: NCAR, HAO P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000 United States
AU: Roble, R G
EM: roble@ucar.edu
AF: NCAR, HAO P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000 United States
AB: 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 dynamics and chemistry. This presentation will overview the penetration of solar storm effects into the Earth's atmosphere with an emphasis on the mesopause region effects during the April 2002 storm period. These effects include modifications to the quiescent circulation, neutral composition changes, and temperature variations.
DE: 2435 Ionospheric disturbances
DE: 2463 Plasma convection
DE: 2479 Solar radiation and cosmic ray effects
DE: 3384 Waves and tides
SC: SPA - Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting