Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences

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Impact of non-hydrostatic processes on the thermospheric density and winds

Yue Deng(1), Timothy Fuller-Rowell(1), Rashid Akmaev(1), Arthur Richmond(2), Qian Wu(2), Aaron J. Ridley(3)

(1) CIRES & NOAA SWPC (2) NCAR HAO (3) University of Michigan

One common assumption used in many theoretical thermosphere/ionosphere models is hydrostatic equilibrium, under which the pressure gradient force is balanced by the gravity force in the vertical direction. This assumption represents the large-scale atmosphere behavior very well, but on small spatial scales and during short time periods, the system can be non-hydrostatic. Non-hydrostatic processes can cause large vertical winds and strong disturbances of neutral density in the upper atmosphere. In this study, two cases have been compared to show the relative importance of the in-situ and vertically propagated disturbances to the acceleration, vertical wind and neutral density.