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Meteorology of the upper atmosphere
Author(s) -
Dickinson Robert E.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
reviews of geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 8.087
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1944-9208
pISSN - 8755-1209
DOI - 10.1029/rg013i003p00771
Subject(s) - thermosphere , stratosphere , troposphere , atmosphere (unit) , atmospheric sciences , tropopause , environmental science , trace gas , extratropical cyclone , atmospheric models , atmospheric circulation , ozone layer , middle latitudes , climatology , meteorology , geology , ionosphere , physics , geophysics
Upper atmosphere meteorologists are concerned with the structure and dynamics of the neutral atmosphere from roughly the tropopause through the thermosphere, especially on a global scale. Some of the exciting developments in upper atmospheric meteorology over the last 4 years include advances in understanding the role of various trace gases in the stratosphere that influence the photochemistry of ozone; a description of seasonal, latitudinal, and diurnal variations of winds and composition in the thermosphere; and significant advances in interpreting various upper atmosphere circulation systems in terms of coupling to the troposphere by various types of tropical and extratropical wave processes. Notable on the methodology side has been the application of increasingly advanced in situ and remote sensing techniques utilizing satellite platforms, especially the use of mass spectrometers for measuring composition in the thermosphere and infrared radiometers for inferring global stratospheric temperature. Numerical models of dynamic processes have increased in sophistication with, on the one hand, extension of tropospheric general circulation models to stratospheric levels and, on the other hand, development of a large number of different simplified dynamic models for treating various aspects of thermospheric dynamics. This paper reviews progress over the last 4 years in upper atmospheric meteorology.