Hydrogen and Temperature in the High-Latitude Thermosphere Near Solstice, with Coupling to Nearby Altitude Regions

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9312141 Breig The proposed research will lead to an improved understanding of the coordinated behaviors of neutral atomic hydrogen and the temperature in the polar thermosphere near solstice. It will give special attention to several modes of coupling between this atmospheric region and its neighbors at higher and lower altitudes. Local H concentrations are to be derived from the condition of charge-exchange equilibrium between hydrogen and oxygen atoms and ions in conjunction with satellite plasma observations near the F- peak. Measurements of ion temperature at these heights provide good estimates of the neutral gas temperature. Principal use will be made of the unique, and still highly useful, sets of aeronomic data acquired with the Atmosphere Explorer (AE)-D and Dynamics Explorer (DE)-2 satellites, both in high-inclination polar orbits. General emphasis will be given to the latitudinal and longitudinal distributions of H density and neutral temperature through the summer and winter polar thermospheres, seeking a more firm confirmation of earlier indications for a polar hydrogen depletion and a related enhancement in temperature in this region. A multitude of comparisons will also be undertaken - seasonal differences between summer and winter high latitudes and the effect of different levels of solar activity. These results should help fill a serious deficiency of reliable observational polar data, and contribute to refinements in current models of the high latitude thermosphere. ***