CEDAR: Mapping the Variance of Thermospheric Vertical Winds Using Dynamics Explorer-2 Wind and Temperature Spectrometer (WATS) Data

University Of Alaska Fairbanks Campus, Fairbanks AK

Investigators

Abstract

This award will support the analysis of the Dynamics Explorer measurements of vertical winds made with the WATS mass spectrometer. The data would be treated to remove the effects of a slowly varying bias by analyzing the raw unaveraged data to determine the variance of the observations. Different methods for determining this variance would be explored. The purpose of this effort is to gain improved insights into the effects of vertical winds in the polar region upon the composition of the auroral thermosphere. The typically large vertical winds of the this region are believed to have major effects upon the composition as a result of the modified mixing that vertical winds will introduce. The impact of this mixing enhancement is not well understood.