| Session Details | |
| Section | ST - Solar & Terrestrial Sciences |
| Session Title | Spatial and Temporal Variability of the Thermosphere |
| Main Convener | Dr. Sean Bruinsma (CNES (French Space Agency), France) |
| Co-convener(s) | Dr. Hitoshi Fujiwara (Tohoku University, Japan) Prof. Jeffrey Forbes (University of Colorado UCB429, United States) |
| Session Description | The thermosphere is of fundamental importance for its effects on satellite drag, and on the ionosphere. Recent space missions (CHAMP, GRACE, and TIMED) and new ground-based observations have significantly enhanced our understanding of thermosphere density/ wind/composition variations, but a number of voids in our knowledge of the neutral upper atmosphere still remains. Much progress has been made and much learned from whole atmosphere models, as well as from the (statistical) analysis of long-term data sets. The objective of the proposed session is to provide a forum for presentation and discussion related to recent advances in the field of the thermosphere, from observational (ground-based and space-borne), theoretical and simulation studies. The variability in solar radiation and the particle flux from the Sun and the magnetosphere represent a large source of energy for the middle atmosphere and the thermosphere. Some of the topics for this session include: coupling between the lower and upper atmosphere; small-to-large scale as well as short-to-long period variability; storm and substorm effects; migrating and nonmigrating tides; satellite drag; thermosphere modeling; new missions or instruments. |