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Seasonal Variation of Thermospheric Composition Observed by NASA GOLD
Liying Qian1, Quan Gan2, Wenbin Wang1
1High Altitude Observatory National Center for Atmospheric Research Boulder CO USA.
Journal of Geophysical Research. Space Physics
|July 22, 2022
Summary
Thermospheric composition shows asymmetric seasonal changes between hemispheres. These variations, influenced by factors like auroral heating, differ significantly with longitude and latitude.
Area of Science:
- Space Physics
- Atmospheric Science
- Geophysics
Background:
- Thermospheric composition is crucial for understanding Earth's upper atmosphere.
- Seasonal variations in the thermosphere are complex and influenced by solar activity and geomagnetic storms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the seasonal variation characteristics of thermospheric composition.
- To analyze hemispheric asymmetries and longitudinal dependencies in thermospheric composition.
Main Methods:
- Utilized column number density ratio (∑O/N₂) data from NASA's GOLD mission.
- Incorporated data from the GUVI instrument on TIMED satellite and NRLMSISE-00 empirical model.
- Analyzed seasonal patterns, hemispheric asymmetries, and longitudinal variations.
Main Results:
- Observed hemispheric asymmetry in ∑O/N₂ seasonal variation.
- Southern hemisphere shows annual and semiannual patterns; Northern hemisphere shows dominant annual variation with wintertime highs.
- Longitudinal variability in solstice season durations and latitude-dependent solstice-to-solstice changes in ∑O/N₂.
Conclusions:
- Ion-neutral collisional heating, ion drag, and auroral Joule heating likely cause longitudinal dependencies.
- Latitude significantly impacts the rate of thermospheric composition change between seasons.
Keywords:
GOLD observationMSISannual variationseasonal variationsemiannual variationthermosphere compositionMore Related Videos
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