February 10, 2017, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

February 10, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Lower-Upper Atmosphere Cooling - from Milliseconds to Decades

Jia Yue (Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Hampton University)

The impact of solar and geomagnetic activity on the thermosphere and ionosphere (T- I) system has been the focus area of upper atmospheric research since the discovery of the ionosphere. The penetration of lower atmospheric waves (gravity waves, tides, planetary waves, etc.) into the upper atmosphere and the resultant impacts on the T-I system, on the other hand, have only recently drawn attention from the upper atmospheric research community. There is a growing awareness that the lower-upper atmosphere dynamical and electromagnetic coupling processes can have significant effect on the accuracy of space weather forecasts. In this talk, I will review several coupling processes spanning from milliseconds to decades. The shortest process is so called "Transient Luminous Events" caused by lightning discharges, the finding of the "tiger elve". The same parent thunderstorms can also excite atmospheric gravity waves with periods of minutes that travel through the stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere and induce Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances. In a period of multiple days, the traveling planetary waves, such as the Quasi-Two-Day Wave, can substantially impact the thermosphere and ionosphere. At last, anthropogenic carbon dioxide diffused to the upper atmosphere cools the thermosphere and causes contraction over decades into the future.