Neutral thermospheric dynamics observed with two scanning Doppler imagers: 3. Horizontal wind gradients

Thermospheric zonal temperature gradients observed at low latitudes

Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) measurements of thermospheric temperatures from the Doppler widths of the OI 630 nm nightglow emission line have been carried out at Cachoeira Paulista (23◦ S, 45◦ W, 16◦ S dip latitude), Brazil. The east-west components of the thermospheric temperatures obtained on 73 nights during the period from 1988 to 1992, primarily under quiet geomagnetic conditions, were...

Spatial Mapping of the Thermospheric Neutral Wind Field

There are many possible observing strategies available for mapping the thermospheric wind field by using observations of the Doppler shift of the 0 (‘D) airglow with a Fabry-Perot interferometer. The determination of the neutral wind field from observed line-of-sight velocities invariably involves some assumptions about the nature of the wind field. A standard method of observing employs the as...

Average thermospheric wind patterns over the polar regions, as observed by CHAMP

Measurements of the CHAMP accelerometer are utilized to investigate the average thermospheric wind distribution in the polar regions at altitudes around 400 km. This study puts special emphasis on the seasonal differences in the wind patterns. For this purpose 131 days centered on the June solstice of 2003 are considered. Within that period CHAMP’s orbit is precessing once through all local tim...

Initial ground-based thermospheric wind measurements using Doppler asymmetric spatial heterodyne spectroscopy (DASH).

We present the first thermospheric wind measurements using a Doppler Asymmetric Spatial Heterodyne (DASH) spectrometer and the oxygen red-line nightglow emission. The ground-based observations were made from Washington, DC and include simultaneous calibration measurements to track and correct instrument drifts. Even though the measurements were made under challenging thermal and light pollution...

The Meridional Thermospheric Neutral Wind Measured by Radar and Optical Techniques in the Auroral Region