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JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH,
VOL. 111,
A01301,
7 PP., 2006
doi:10.1029/2004JA010622
Transonic neutral wind in the thermosphere observed by the DE 2 satellite
Solar Physics and Upper-Atmosphere Research Group, Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
Solar Physics and Upper-Atmosphere Research Group, Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
DE 2 Wind And Temperature Spectrometer (WATS) instrument data has been analyzed to investigate supersonic excursions of the measured neutral wind. There have been 488 supersonic events identified, with the zonal component of the neutral wind Mach number M in the range 1 < M < 2. These events are located in the polar cap, predominantly between 75 and 85 degrees MLT in the dawn sector. The events are located broadly spread over the height range 300–600 km. The mean horizontal linear extent of the regions of supersonic flow is estimated to be around 140 km. We find an anticorrelation between Mach number (for 1 < M < 2) and neutral temperature, which may be due to adiabatic cooling of the thermosphere from thermospheric heat sources below the satellite altitude.
Received 10 June 2004; accepted 1 November 2005; published 21 January 2006.
Citation: (2006), Transonic neutral wind in the thermosphere observed by the DE 2 satellite, J. Geophys. Res., 111, A01301, doi:10.1029/2004JA010622.
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