Waves and coupling in the Earth's upper atmosphere

该提案支持对中高层大气（50至~250公里之间）的物理学进行研究。这些高度包围了大气向地球空间过渡的区域。它的特点是大波（潮汐、行星波和重力波）从低层大气向上传播到这些高度和由太阳风、地球磁场和大气运动之间的相互作用产生的电离层电流系统。确定导致成分和能量通过该区域向上和向下流动的机制对于理解太阳/地球系统至关重要。鉴于我们对卫星技术的日益依赖，以及人类活动对大气的组成及其对太阳能量的反应所产生的全球性影响，这样的了解是至关重要的。提出的研究有三个组成部分：开发世界一流的、独特的光学仪器来成像风；在加拿大高北极地区建立和支持探测高层大气动力学的地面仪器，并分析其观测结果；对来自模式和卫星的全球数据集进行分析，以研究中高层大气的动力学。我们最近利用干涉仪测量气辉中自然产生的光的多普勒频移，生成了95千米高空的第一张风的图像。拟议研究的一个组成部分是优化和现场测试这些仪器，然后使用它们远程“看到”风，并调查高层大气中存在的波的特性。我目前在努纳武特尤里卡的极地环境大气研究实验室（PEARL）有一个风干干仪和一个全天空成像仪，它提供了85到100公里高度的风和气辉亮度。已经与负责尤里卡和雷索特湾其他仪器的同事建立了合作关系，这些仪器进行测量以补充这些测量。拟议研究的另一个组成部分是维持和扩大这一网络，并分析观测结果，以便了解这些高度的动态。为了从全局角度了解过渡区的物理情况，需要卫星观测和全球大气环流模式的输出。自1990年代以来，已通过一系列卫星（其中几颗是加拿大的）对这一区域的大气动力学进行了观测。加拿大环流模式的输出涵盖了1990年至2010年。第三个研究组成部分是利用我们处理这些数据集的经验来描述全球动态并寻找长期大气趋势

This proposal supports research into the physics of the middle and upper atmosphere (between 50 and ~250 km). These heights encompass the region where the atmosphere transitions to geospace. It is characterized by large waves (tides, planetary waves and gravity waves) which propagate upward from the lower atmosphere into these heights and ionospheric current systems generated through interactions between the solar wind, Earth's magnetic field and atmospheric motions. Determining the mechanisms which cause the upward and downward flow of constituents and energy through this region is essential to understanding the Sun/Earth system. Given our growing dependence on satellite technologies and the global impact human activities are having on the composition of the atmosphere and its response to the Sun's energy, such an understanding is vital.The proposed research has three components: the development of world class, unique optical instruments to image winds; the establishment and support of ground-based instruments in the Canadian High Arctic which probe the dynamics of the upper atmosphere and the analysis of their observations; the analysis of global data sets from models and satellites to investigate the dynamics of the middle and upper atmosphere. We have recently generated the first images ever of winds at a height of 95 km using interferometers to measure Doppler shifts of naturally occurring light from airglow. One component of the proposed research is to optimize and field test these instruments and then use them to remotely “see” winds and investigate the properties of waves present in the upper atmosphere. I currently have a wind interferometer and an all sky imager located at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) at Eureka, Nunavut which provide wind and airglow brightness at heights between 85 and 100 km. Collaborations have been set up with colleagues responsible for other instruments at Eureka and Resolute Bay which take measurements complementing these measurements. Another component of the proposed research is the maintenance and expansion of this network and the analysis of the observations so that the dynamics at these heights becomes known.For a global perspective on the physics of the transition region, satellite observations and output from global general circulation models are needed. Observations of the dynamics of this region of the atmosphere from a sequence of satellites (several of which are Canadian) have been made since the 1990's Output from a Canadian General Circulation model covering the years from 1990 to 2010 is available. A third research component is to use our experience in working with these data sets to characterize the global dynamics and look for long term atmospheric trends