This project will use an 8-year data set from the Poker Flat Incoherent Scatter Radar (PFISR) to investigate the climatology and variability of high-latitude lower thermospheric winds. The analysis will address questions of the relative contribution of energy and momentum transfer from different sources. A long-term database of wind profiles will be developed and made available to the community to be used for testing of complex models.
This study will advance the understanding of ion-neutral coupling and energy, mass and momentum transfer between the magnetosphere, thermosphere, and atmosphere, and will investigate auroral effects on lower thermospheric winds. Case studies will be used to examine events of strong atmospheric or auroral forcing. The long-term data base will provide information about trends in lower thermospheric winds and which forcing mechanisms are most responsible for long-term variability.
Stephen Kaeppler. Collaborative Research: CEDAR--A Long-term Investigation of Auroral and Tidal Forcing of E-region Thermospheric Winds at High Latitudes. 2016-01-01.