Dynamics of the Polar Upper Mesosphere from Airglow Observations

夜间上层大气的辉光（气辉）可以用肉眼在非常黑暗的天空中看到，就像恒星之间微弱的光一样。它的光谱是分子片段重组的光谱。这种气辉及其波状变化是上层大气中能量沉积的迹象。从上面看，太阳紫外线的直接辐射和由太阳风驱动的粒子降水是主要的来源，而从下面看，化学物质的输送受到行星波、重力波和潮汐的影响，这些变化被视为从几分钟到几天的准周期性变化，一次发生的时间从几小时到几十天。该奖项用于在高纬度观测站（阿拉斯加）对气辉进行观测，以确定太阳周期、季节性、日变化和零星变化，这是由于自上而下和自下而上的耦合，并将它们与化学和动力学的数值模型联系起来。理解这些过程是最终描述从太阳到地球的能量流的一个重要部分。

The glow of the upper atmosphere at night (the airglow) can be seen with the naked eye from sites with very dark skies as the faint light from between the stars. Its spectrum is that of recombining molecular fragments. This airglow and its wave-like variations are an indication of the deposition of energy in the upper atmosphere. From above, the direct solar ultraviolet radiation and particle precipitation driven by the solar wind are the major sources, while chemical transport from below is modified by planetary waves, gravity waves and tides, that are seen as quasi-periodic variations in the range from minutes to days, and occurring for hours to tens of days at a time. This award is for observations of the airglow at a high latitude station (Alaska), to identify the solar cycle, seasonal, diurnal and sporadic variations, due to the coupling from above and below, and to relate them to numerical models of the chemistry and dynamics. To understand these processes is an important part of the ultimate description of the flow of energy from the sun to the earth.