On the fast movements of the thermosphere: an interpretation

• Published in: Annales Geophysicae
• Main Authors: Lilensten, J., Amblard, P. O.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Verlag 2000
• Subjects: article; Verlagsveröffentlichung; Tourbillons; EISCAT
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00585-001-1651-8; https://noa.gwlb.de/receive/cop_mods_00036556; https://noa.gwlb.de/servlets/MCRFileNodeServlet/cop_derivate_00036510/angeo-18-1651-2000.pdf; https://angeo.copernicus.org/articles/18/1651/2000/angeo-18-1651-2000.pdf

We examine the oscillations of the meridional neutral wind in the F region as seen by the EISCAT radar. We propose an interpretation in term of eddies (tourbillons) of typical size of a few tens to a few hundreds of kilometers. The observed rotation velocity is a few hundreds of meters per second. We suggest that the tourbillons are a common feature of thermospheric movements. We propose an optical experiment to check the validity of this assumption. Key words: Atmospheric composition and structure (thermosphere · composition and chemistry) · Ionosphere (ionosphere · atmosphere interactions)