In this study, numerical simulations of planetary-scale waves (PSWs), generated in the troposphere, were performed for altitudes from the Earth's surface up to 300 km. The influence of thermospheric effects of solar activity (SA) on the amplitudes and phases of westward traveling PSWs with zonal wave numbers 1 and 2 and periods 4–16 days propagating from the troposphere was simulated. Such simulations for a large number of PSW modes in the thermosphere were made for the first time. The effects of SA changes at altitudes above 100 km were involved in the general circulation model MUAM. The ionospheric conductivities for minimum and maximum SA levels were included into the MUAM. The simulation results were averaged over two ensembles of model runs with different PSW phases for conditions corresponding to the high and low SA levels for January–February. PSW atmospheric refractivity index and Eliassen-Palm flux were calculated. They correspond to simulated changes in PSW amplitudes. Changes in the zonal velocity and temperature caused by the SA variations can modify spatial distributions of the westward traveling PSWs. Wave amplitudes significantly (up to 100%) decrease at the thermospheric heights under high SA, which is accompanied by decreasing vertical component of the Eliassen-Palm flux. The 7-, 10-, and 16-day PSWs could have larger partial reflection and worse propagation conditions than the 4- and 5-day waves in the Southern Hemisphere under the high SA. At altitudes below 100 km, minor differences in zonal velocity and PSW amplitudes between high and low SA are found.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6888-6903
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Volume123
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2018

    Research areas

  • atmospheric dynamics, general circulation, modeling, planetary waves, solar activity, MESOSPHERE, CIRCULATION, MIDDLE ATMOSPHERE, TIDAL EQUATIONS, MODEL, VARIABILITY, NORTHERN-HEMISPHERE, GRAVITY-WAVE, IONOSPHERE SYSTEM, PROPAGATION

    Scopus subject areas

  • Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
  • Forestry
  • Aquatic Science
  • Soil Science
  • Water Science and Technology
  • Earth-Surface Processes
  • Geochemistry and Petrology
  • Geophysics
  • Oceanography
  • Paleontology
  • Ecology
  • Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Space and Planetary Science
  • Atmospheric Science

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