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A Review of the Effects of Non-migrating Atmospheric Tides on the Earth’s Low-Latitude Ionosphere

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Abstract

Solar thermal tides are planetary-scale waves in the neutral atmosphere with periods that are harmonics of 24 hours. In the thermosphere, they can achieve significant amplitude and can be the dominant source of variation in the atmosphere. Through their modification of the neutral atmosphere, they can also significantly modify the ionosphere, especially at low-latitudes where the dynamics of the Earth’s ionosphere is determined to a large extent by the neutral atmosphere. Much recent work has focused on characterizing and understanding the impact of one sub-group of tides, known as non-migrating tides, on the ionosphere. Whereas migrating tides are responsible for creating strong day-night variations in the ionosphere, non-migrating tides create longitudinal variations in the ionosphere, the signature of which can only be detected with distributed networks of ground-based observations or spacecraft. The present work reviews the recent observations and modeling efforts that have helped to characterize and explain this longitudinal variability. Emphasis is placed on the characteristics of tides throughout the thermosphere, their impacts on the chemical composition of the thermosphere, and impacts on the ionosphere.

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Acknowledgements

S.L. England was supported by the National Science Foundation’s CEDAR program through Award number AGS-1042261.

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England, S.L. A Review of the Effects of Non-migrating Atmospheric Tides on the Earth’s Low-Latitude Ionosphere. Space Sci Rev 168, 211–236 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-011-9842-4

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