Evidence for stratospheric sudden warming effects on the upper thermosphere derived from satellite orbital decay data during 1967–2013

Yamazaki (YY), Yosuke and Kosch, Michael and Emmert, John (2015) Evidence for stratospheric sudden warming effects on the upper thermosphere derived from satellite orbital decay data during 1967–2013. Geophysical Research Letters, 42 (15). pp. 1-9. ISSN 0094-8276

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Abstract

We investigate possible impact of stratospheric sudden warmings (SSWs) on the thermosphere by using long-term data of the global average thermospheric total mass density derived from satellite orbital drag during 1967–2013. Residuals are analyzed between the data and empirical Global Average Mass Density Model (GAMDM) that takes into account density variability due to solar activity, season, geomagnetic activity, and long-term trend. A superposed epoch analysis of 37 SSW events reveals a density reduction of 3–7% at 250–575 km around the time of maximum polar vortex weakening. The relative density perturbation is found to be greater at higher altitudes. The temperature perturbation is estimated to be −7.0 K at 400 km. We show that the density reduction can arise from enhanced wave forcing from the lower atmosphere.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Geophysical Research Letters
Additional Information:
©2015. The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2015 American Geophysical Union
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1900/1908
Subjects:
?? geophysicsearth and planetary sciences(all) ??
ID Code:
75280
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
20 Aug 2015 12:40
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
31 Jan 2024 00:27