WE PROPOSE TO COMBINE THE NASA-MISSION DATA (I.E. ACE TIMED/SABER) DMSP GROUND-BASED LIDAR MEASUREMENTS AND THE COUPLED THERMOSPHERE IONOSPHERE PLASMASPHERE ELECTRODYNAMICS (CTIPE) MODEL TO INVESTIGATE HOW THE LOCALIZED MAGNETOSPHERIC ENERGY IS DISSIPATED VIA FUNDMENTAL PROCESSES IN THE POLAR MAGNETOSPHERE-IONOSPHERE-THERMOSPHERE (MIT) COUPLED SYSTEM. WE REDUCE THE OVERALL EFFORTS FROM ADDRESSING THE THREE SCIENCE QUESTIONS PROPOSED PREVIOUSLY TO ONLY ADDRESSING THE FIRST TWO QUESTIONS: 1) WHAT DRIVES THE OBSERVED TEMPERATURE INVERSIONS IN THE LOWER THERMOSPHERE? 2) ARE THE TIME SCALES FOR RADIATIVE AND DIFFUSIVE COOLING PROCESSES CONSISTENT WITH THE OBSERVED TEMPERATURE RESPONSES? THE TWO OBJECTIVES ASSOCIATED WITH THESE TWO SCIENCE QUESTIONS ARE: 1) QUANTIFY THE ALTITUDE PROFILES OF JOULE HEATING PARTICLE PRECIPITATION HEATING AND DYNAMICAL HEATING TO IDENTIFY THE DOMINANT MECHANISM(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OBSERVED TEMPERATURE ELEVATIONS AND INVERSIONS IN THE LOWER THERMOSPHERE. ASSESS THE IMPACT OF NON-MAXWELLIAN AURORA PARTICLE SPECTRA ON THE CONDUCTIVITY PROFILES AND THE NEUTRAL TEMPERATURE RESPONSES. 2) INVESTIGATE THE CHANGES OF NO AND CO2 COOLING RATES AND TIME SCALES DURING STORM TIME AND QUANTIFY THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO TEMPERATURE PROFILES.