Understanding and predicting day to day variability in the thermosphere is imperative as the near-Earth space region becomes more populated with satellites, spacecraft, and accumulative space debris. Seasonal variability, solar storms, and terrestrial weather events can all influence winds, temperatures, and densities in the thermosphere, affecting orbital trajectories of satellites and space debris in this region. 

At NESS we use a variety of remote sensing instrumentation including airglow imagers, lidar systems, ground based radar systems, and satellite instrumentation. Our hydroxyl airglow imager is currently placed at the poker flat research range. Links to a few other commonly used instruments are given below. 

Lidar facility at the poker flat research range

Poker flat incoherent scatter radar

Andes Lidar Observatory 

Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS)

Gravity waves, also called buoyancy waves (not to be confused with gravitational waves), are similar to waves in the ocean. Gravity waves transport and deposit momentum throughout the atmosphere. These waves alter winds and circulation throughout the atmosphere, and also cause perturbations in winds, temperatures, and densities. Gravity waves generated in the troposphere near Earth’s surface have the potential to influence altitudes all the way into the thermosphere in the region of satellite low Earth orbits. Gravity wave sources include strong convection, strong wind over mountain ranges, earthquakes and tsunamis, regions of wave breaking and turbulence, and aurora. 

Check out the Gravity Wave Zoo Citizen Science Project using data from the NESS OH airglow imager at Poker Flat. 

Energetic particles associated with aurora and geomagnetic activity interact with Earth's atmosphere. Dynamics in the near space environment affect the transport and chemistry associated with these precipitating particles. In NESS we use instrumentation to further study these energetic particles. 

Weather happening on the surface of the Earth influences the near-Earth space region. Events such as thunderstorms and hurricanes, earthquakes, strong winds, and disruptions in the polar vortex contribute to the generation of gravity waves, which couple to the thermosphere and perturb winds, densities, temperatures, and ions. Understanding how and under what conditions these events couple to the near-Earth space environment from Earths’ surface will assist in forecasting conditions in the near-Earth space environment.