中高层大气中的金属物质（如钠，铁，镁，钾，钙，硅）在广泛的时间（从几秒到几年）和空间（400 km的垂直尺度和全球的水平尺度）尺度上，为中性大气和电离层的动力学过程提供了独特的示踪观测方法。随着激光雷达探测的深入，低热层金属原子层逐渐被发现，此外，在500 km高度上发现了金属离子的存在。这些观测现象伴生出系列相关科学问题，例如，中性金属原子出现在高于105 km的电离层中的原因是什么？控制这些金属原子分布的大气化学和物理过程有哪些？太阳活动周期以及气候变化等长期过程是如何影响金属层的？在目前的全大气耦合模式中缺少了哪些关键的物理化学过程？本项目拟拓展现有全大气耦合金属层模式向上到600 km高度，并结合多台站观测资料，模拟分析热层金属层形成机制，探讨热层金属原子和金属离子可能参与的物理、化学和电动力学过程，以及探索气候变化和太阳活动对热层金属层的影响。

The metallic species (e.g. Na, Fe, Mg, K, Ca and Si) in the middle and upper atmosphere, provide a unique tracer of dynamics in the neutral and ionized atmosphere on a wide range of temporal (seconds to years) and spatial (400 km vertical, global horizontal) scales. Recently, lidar observations have shown that neutral metal atom layers occur up to at least 170 km, furthermore, metal ions have been observed at heights of over 500 km. However, a number key questions about the upper atmospheric metal layers are also arisen, e.g., why do neutral metal atoms occur in the ionosphere above 105 km? What are the chemical, physical and electro dynamical processes which control their distribution? How are the layers affected by long term trends such as the solar cycle and climate change? Which important processes are missing in the current whole atmosphere model? We will extend the current global atmospheric model of meteoric metals (WACCM with meteoric metals) up to 600 km coupling the ionosphere based on a new version of the next generation model (WACCM-X). With the help of the lidar measurements being made at several locations, we will focus on the following points: (i) Analyzing the formation mechanism of thermal metal layers; (ii) Investigating the electro-dynamical and chemical processes controlling on the metal layers in the thermosphere; (iii) Exploring the metal layers responses to climate and solar activity.