Spectral analysis of planetary waves seen in ionospheric total electron content (TEC): First results using GPS differential TEC and stratospheric reanalyses

The coupling of the neutral atmosphere and the ionosphere through planetary waves (PW) (zonal wavenumber 0–5) is investigated by spherical harmonic analyses of the ionospheric total electron content (TEC). These analyses detect mean variations, standing and travelling waves which are assumed to be signatures of PW. Database used for TEC analyses are 3 years of hourly TEC maps covering the higher middle and polar latitudes. They are regularly produced by DLR Neustrelitz. The obtained results are compared with PW analyses using NCEP/NCAR and Met Office stratospheric reanalyses. Case studies show that signatures of PW occur simultaneously in the middle atmosphere and ionosphere.     

Use of coupled ozone fields in a 3-D circulation model of the middle atmosphere

With a detailed chemistry scheme for the middle atmosphere up to 70 km which has been added to the 3-D Karlsruhe simulation model of the middle atmosphere (KASIMA), the effects of coupling chemistry and dynamics through ozone are studied for the middle atmosphere. An uncoupled version using an ozone climatology for determining heating rates and a coupled version using on-line ozone are compared in a 10-month integration with meteorological analyses for the winter 1992/93 as the lower boundary condition. Both versions simulate the meteorological situation satisfactorily, but exhibit a too cold lower stratosphere. The on-line ozone differs from the climatological data between 20 and 40 km by exhibiting too high ozone values, whereas in the lower mesosphere the ozone values are too low. The coupled model version is stable and differs only above 40 km significantly from the uncoupled version. Direct heating effects are identified to cause most of the differences. The well-known negative correlation between temperature and ozone is reproduced in the model. As a result, the coupled version slightly approaches the climatological ozone field. Further feedback effects are studied by using the on-line ozone field as a basis for an artificial climatology. For non-disturbed ozone conditions realistic monthly and zonally averaged ozone data are sufficient to determine the heating rates for modelling the middle atmosphere.     

Midlatitude mesopause region winds and waves and comparison with stratospheric variability

We present time series of January–May mean mesosphere/lower thermosphere (MLT) mean winds and planetary wave (PW) proxies over Europe together with stratospheric stationary planetary waves (SPW) at 50°N and time series of European ozone laminae occurrence. The MLT winds are connected with stratospheric PW and laminae at time scales of several years to decades. There is a tendency for increased wave activity after 1990, together with more ozone laminae and stronger MLT zonal winds. However, possible coupling processes are not straightforward. While mean MLT winds before the 1990s show similar interannual variations than stratospheric PW at 100 hPa, later a tendency towards a connection of the MLT with the middle stratosphere SPW is registered. There is also a tendency for a change in the correlation between lower and middle stratosphere SPW, indicating that coupling processes involving the European middle atmosphere from the lower stratosphere to the mesopause region have changed.     

Solar cycle changes to planetary wave propagation and their influence on the middle atmosphere circulation

Recent observations suggest that there may be a causal relationship between solar activity and the strength of the winter Northern Hemisphere circulation in the stratosphere. A three-dimensional model of the atmosphere between 10–140 km was developed to assess the influence of solar minimum and solar maximum conditions on the propagation of planetary waves and the subsequent changes to the circulation of the stratosphere. Ultraviolet heating in the middle atmosphere was kept constant in order to emphasise the importance of non-linear dynamical coupling. A realistic thermo-sphere was achieved by relaxing the upper layers to the MSIS-90 empirical temperature model. In the summer hemisphere, strong radiative damping prevents significant dynamical coupling from taking place. Within the dynamically controlled winter hemisphere, small perturbations are reinforced over long periods of time, resulting in systematic changes to the stratospheric circulation. The winter vortex was significantly weakened during solar maximum and western phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation, in accordance with reported 30 mb geopotential height and total ozone measurements.     

Correlation between Pc1 electromagnetic activity and earthquakes

This work addresses the experimental study of an important aspect in the general problem of lithosphere-magnetosphere coupling, namely the correlation between the Pc1 electromagnetic waves (0.2–5 Hz) and the earthquakes. Using long time series of measurements from the catalogues of Pc1 and earthquakes, we revealed a new effect: the diurnal Pc1 activity in the middle latitudes is statistically higher the lower the diurnal global seismic activity. We assume that the influence of earthquake-related acoustic waves on the upper atmosphere suppresses the activity of the Pc1 waves.     

Regional coupled ocean–atmosphere downscaling in the Southeast Pacific: impacts on upwelling, mesoscale air–sea fluxes, and ocean eddies

Ocean–atmosphere coupling in the Humboldt Current System (HCS) of the Southeast Pacific is studied using the Scripps Coupled Ocean–atmosphere Regional (SCOAR) model, which is used to downscale the National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Reanalysis-2 (RA2) product for the period 2000–2007 at 20-km resolution. An interactive 2-D spatial smoother within the sea-surface temperature (SST)–flux coupler is invoked in a separate run to isolate the impact of the mesoscale (～50–200 km, in the oceanic sense) SST field felt by the atmosphere in the fully coupled run. For the HCS, SCOAR produces seasonal wind stress and wind stress curl patterns that agree better with QuikSCAT winds than those from RA2. The SCOAR downscaled wind stress distribution has substantially different impacts on the magnitude and structure of wind-driven upwelling processes along the coast compared to RA2. Along coastal locations such as Arica and Taltal, SCOAR and RA2 produce seasonally opposite signs in the total wind-driven upwelling transport. At San Juan, SCOAR shows that upwelling is mainly due to coastal Ekman upwelling transport, while in RA2 upwelling is mostly attributed to Ekman pumping. Fully coupled SCOAR shows significant SST–wind stress coupling during fall and winter, while smoothed SCOAR shows insignificant coupling throughout, indicating the important role of ocean mesoscale eddies on air–sea coupling in HCS. Coupling between SST, wind speed, and latent heat flux is incoherent in large-scale coupling and full coupling mode. In contrast, coupling between these three variables is clearly identified for oceanic mesoscales, which suggests that mesoscale SST affects latent heat directly through the bulk formulation, as well as indirectly through stability changes on the overlying atmosphere, which affects surface wind speeds. The SST–wind stress and SST–heat-flux couplings, however, fail to produce a strong change in the ocean eddy statistics. No rectified effects of ocean–atmosphere coupling were identified for either the atmospheric or oceanic mean conditions, suggesting that mesoscale coupling is too weak in this region to strongly alter the basic climate state.     

Recent investigation on the coupling between the ionosphere and upper atmosphere

Scientific attention has recently been focused on the coupling of the earth’s upper atmosphere and ionosphere. In the present work, we review the advances in this field, emphasizing the studies and contributions of Chinese scholars. This work first introduces new developments in the observation instruments of the upper atmosphere. Two kinds of instruments are involved: optical instruments (lidars, FP interferometers and all-sky airglow imagers) and radio instruments (MST radars and all-sky meteor radars). Based on the data from these instruments and satellites, the researches on climatology and wave disturbances in the upper atmosphere are then introduced. The studies on both the sporadic sodium layer and sporadic E-layer are presented as the main works concerning the coupling of the upper atmosphere and the low ionosphere. We then review the investigations on the ionospheric longitudinal structure and the causative atmospheric non-migrating tide as the main progress of the coupling between the atmosphere and the ionospheric F2-region. Regarding the ionosphere-thermosphere coupling, we introduce studies on the equatorial thermospheric anomaly, as well as the influence of the thermospheric winds and gravity waves to the ionospheric F2-region. Chinese scholars have made much advancement on the coupling of the ionosphere and upper atmosphere, including the observation instruments, data precession, and modeling, as well as the mechanism analysis.     

高纬电离层特性的实例研究

本文利用EISCAT雷达资料讨论磁层-电离层耦合的高纬电离层效应。研究表明,即使在夏季极昼情况下,磁扰期间的磁层过程对高纬电离层形态的影响也远大于太阳紫外辐射的作用。高能粒子沉降使电离层E层的电子密度大大增加;而磁层对流速度变大会使F层内电离复合加强。因而,磁扰时经常出现n_e（E层）>_e（F层）的情况。此现象不仅与宁静时完全相反,而且与中低纬电离层形态变化也有很大差别。     

Long-term trends in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere (a review)

The current views on long-term changes in parameters (trends) in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere are considered. The concept of cooling and contraction of the middle and upper atmosphere due to the increase in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is described.     

Temperature variability over the tropical middle atmosphere

A study on the variability of temperature in the tropical middle atmosphere over Thumba (8 32’ N, 76 52’ E), located at the southern part of India, has been carried out based on rocket observations for a period of 20 years, extending from 1970 to 1990. The rocketsonde-derived mean temperatures over Thumba are corrected prior to 1978 and then compared with the middle atmospheric reference model developed from satellite observations and Solar Mesosphere Explorer (SME) satellite data. Temperature variability at every 1 km interval in the 25–75 km region was analysed. The tropical stratosphere is found to be highly stable, whereas considerable variability is noted in the middle mesosphere. The effect of seasonal cycle is least in the lower stratosphere. Annual and semi-annual oscillations in temperature are the primary oscillations in the tropical middle atmosphere. Annual temperature oscillations are dominant in the mesosphere and semi-annual oscillations are strong in the stratosphere. The stratopause region is noted to be the part of the middle atmosphere least sensitive to the changes in solar activity and long-term variability.     

Review of electromagnetic coupling between the Earth's atmosphere and the space environment

We review our understanding of the electrical properties of the lower and upper atmosphere along with various possible sources of the electromagnetic energy near and far above the Earth's surface. The transport of electromagnetic energy from the atmosphere to the ionosphere and then to the magnetosphere and back to the Earth's surface via ionosphere and lower atmosphere is discussed. The electromagnetic coupling of various regions is also discussed.     

The radiative energy budget of the middle atmosphere and its parameterization in general circulation models

The thermal regime of the middle atmosphere is determined to a great extent by the balance between the incoming solar and outgoing infrared radiation. To account for these processes in numerical models of the middle atmosphere, parameterizations that are capable of quickly and accurately calculating infrared cooling and solar heating rates are required. These parameterizations should include the breakdown of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) conditions and allow for feedbacks by ensuring that dependencies on all input parameters are accounted for. This paper discusses the major mechanisms responsible for maintaining the radiative energy budget of the middle atmosphere and presents a brief review of approaches and numerical schemes currently available for use in general circulation models. The main focus of the paper is on the approaches and schemes designed for non-LTE treatment.     

The effect of Newtonian cooling on vertically propagating magneto-acoustic waves in a thermally conducting isothermal atmosphere (II)

In this article, we examine reflection, dissipation and attenuation of vertically propagating waves in an isothermal atmosphere under the combined effect of Newtonian cooling, thermal conduction and viscosity with a weak horizontal magnetic field. We consider the case in which the combined effect of viscosity and magnetic field is dominated by that of the thermal conduction and for small values of the Newtonian parameter. As a result, the atmosphere can be divided into three distinct regions that are connected by two transition regions. The lower and middle regions are connected by a semi-transparent barrier and the middle and upper regions are connected by an absorbing and reflecting barrier. In the connecting barriers the reflection and transmission of the waves takes place. The presence of Newtonian cooling effects on the adiabatic region, produces attenuation in the amplitudes of the waves and reduces the energy absorption in the transition regions. The reflection coefficient is determined in the lower and middle regions and the results are discussed in the context of the heating of the solar atmosphere.     

Trends in planetary wave activity in the upper middle atmosphere inferred from the nighttime LF radio wave absorption measurements

Summary The nighttime LF radio wave absorption in the lower ionosphere measured at two frequencies in central Europe over 1963–1985 is used to infer planetary wave activity and its long-term trend in the upper middle atmosphere (∼90–100 km). The observed positive trend is roughly consistent with results based on daytime absorption. Nighttime results are less pronounced and less statistically significant probably due to perturbing effects of geomagnetic activity. The observed trends, which are probably of anthropogenic origin, are together with the daytime results [3,4] the first evidence of long-term trends in planetary wave activity in the upper middle atmosphere.     

Comparison of data and derived quantities for the middle atmosphere of the Southern Hemisphere

Before data from satellites can be used with confidence in dynamical studies of the middle atmosphere an assessment of their reliability is necessary. To this end, independently analysed data from different instruments may be compared. In this paper, this is done for the Southern Hemisphere as a prelude to the dynamical studies of the middle atmosphere being fostered by the MASH project of the Middle Atmosphere Program. Data from two infrared radiometers are used: a limb scanner (LIMS) and a nadir sounder (SSU). While there is usually qualitative agreement between basic fields (temperatures, winds), substantial quantitative differences are found, with more pronounced differences in fields of Eliassen-Palm flux divergence and Ertel's potential vorticity.The fidelity of the base-level analysis to which satellite data are tied is important for calculating quantities of relevance to dynamical theory. In the Southern Hemisphere, conventional data are sparse and, through the analysis procedure, this introduces errors into derived fields for the middle atmosphere. The impact of using base-level analyses from different sources is assessed. Large discrepancies are found in fields computed by differentiation.Several techniques are suggested whereby the reliability of fields derived from satellite data may be gauged.     

中层耗散大气中Rossby波包的非线性相互作用理论

采用弱非线性近似得出中层耗散大气连续谱Ｒｏｓｓｂｙ波包的非线性时空演化方程，讨论了Ｒｏｓｓｂｙ波包的三波相互作用问题．数值计算表明，耗散和非线性的共同效应决定了Ｒｏｓｓｂｙ波包的演变．当一个Ｒｏｓｓｂｙ波包通过大气传播时，它的振幅若超过某个阈值，空间尺度分别比它大和比它小的两个次级Ｒｏｓｓｂｙ波包的振幅会随时间增长．特别当这两个次级波包同时随时空变化时，仅当主波的振幅超过一个更大的阈值，且其群速度介于两次级波包的群速度之间时，两次级波包的振幅才会随时空同时增长，即出现绝对不稳定现象，耗散和３个波包的频率失配都会增大不稳定的阈值．     

Some comparisons between the middle atmosphere dynamics of the Southern and Northern Hemispheres

Comparisons are drawn between certain middle atmosphere dynamical processes in the Southern Hemisphere and the Northern Hemisphere. Attention is focused on the zonal-mean climatological state, stationary waves, transient waves of various types, stratospheric sudden warmings and polar ozone minima. Observations of the similarities and differences between the hemispheres are mentioned, and ways in which these comparisons may be used to enhance our dynamical knowledge of the whole middle atmosphere are discussed.     

On the interaction between a radiatively damped planetary wave and the zonally averaged circulation in the middle atmosphere

The interaction between a planetary wave damped by cooling to space and the zonally averaged circulation in the middle atmosphere is examined for a steady-state situation in middle latitudes. Quasi-geostrophic scaling of Type 2 is assumed (i.e. the space scales are planetary and the superrotation is small).A set of mean equations is derived for this scaling which is complementary to the set of perturbation equations previously studied. The mean equations show that a planetary wave induces a mean meridional circulation which is balanced by an eddy momentum forcing function and a mean diabatic heating which is balanced by an eddy heat flux forcing function. The vertical eddy fluxes enter the forcing at the same order as the horizontal eddy fluxes.An analytical wave solution is found for the case of an atmosphere in constant superrotation. The eddy fluxes and forcing functions are evaluated for this special case. It is found that they are very sensitive to the values of the radiative damping coefficient and the superrotation. Since the damping coefficient depends on the ozone concentration and the intensity of the solar ultraviolet flux, the results suggest that changes in these quantities can strongly modify the wave-mean flow interaction in the middle atmosphere. Possible implications for climate change are discussed.     

Physical models of coupling in the lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere system before earthquakes

The most important models of coupling in the lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere system are considered. In some of these models, it is assumed that atmospheric acoustic and acoustic gravity waves (AGWs), which propagate through the atmosphere and reach ionospheric altitudes (resulting in the generation of electric field disturbances and modulation of charged particle density), are generated in the near-Earth atmosphere over the earthquake preparation region. In other models it is assumed that ionospheric disturbances originate owing to the modification of electric fields and currents due to electric processes in the lithosphere or near-Earth atmosphere. It seems impossible to stress on only one model and reject the remaining models because the characteristic spatial scales of effects observed in the ionosphere before earthquakes vary from 200–300 km to several thousand kilometers, and the characteristic times vary from several minutes to several days. We can assume that there are several physical mechanisms by which the lithosphere-ionosphere coupling is actually implemented.