scostep 2010 (stp12) - Leibniz-Institut für Atmosphärenphysik an der ...

STP12 Abstracts
Berlin, 12 - 16 July 2010
SCOSTEP Symposium 2010
On large-scale wave coupling into the upper atmosphere
Oberheide Jens
Clemson University, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Clemson SC, USA
A variety of new evidence suggests that large-scale atmospheric waves such as tides and
planetary waves driven in the lower and middle atmosphere are an important ingredient in
geospace variability and space weather. Atmospheric tides due to persistent tropical
rainstorms produce large longitudinal and local time variations in bulk ionospherethermosphere-mesosphere
(ITM) properties, i.e., temperature, wind, composition, airglow and
plasma density, to name a few. Oscillations of F-region plasma density and other ITM
properties at planetary wave periods at least partly reflect the planetary wave activity and
variability in the stratosphere. All theses waves may further interact with each other, with
gravity waves, and the background atmosphere when propagating upward through the
stratosphere to the thermosphere and ionosphere, hence producing additional variability
and/or secondary waves.
This paper gives an overview of the relevant physical processes including wave sources,
propagation, dissipation and their effects. What are they? Why do we care? What is the stateof-the-art?
What are the future challenges? Diagnostics from various satellites and groundbased
stations will be presented along with modeling results and put into the context of
SCOSTEP's Climate and Weather of the Sun-Earth System (CAWSES)-II program 2009-
2013.