Exploration of the Polar Upper Atmosphere: Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute held at Lillehammer, Norway, May 5–16, 1980 (Nato Science Series C:, 64)

This book is an ordered collection of tutorial lectures on the physical processes in the polar upper atmosphere given at the NATO Advanced Study Institute (ASI) on "The Exploration of the Polar Upper Atmosphere" held at Lillehammer, Norway, May 5-16, 1980. The polar cap is an important part of the high latitude atmosphere not only because of circulation and horizontal trans­ port in the neutral atmosphere and convection in the ionosphere, but also because of its unique energy sources and sinks. In addition, solar wind plasma is led into-the upper atmosphere by the geomagnetic field at the poles, and the polar cap is, as stated by Tutorial Leader Roederer in this volume, "the place where outer space meets earth". The atmosphere at lower latitudes is well-known to the ground-based observer, and the advent of satellite observations was simply the beginning of a new perspective. The exploration of the atmosphere at polar latitudes, however, proceeded in quite the opposite manner, and satellite maps of the polar caps may be compared with a relatively meagre set of ground-based data. Recent efforts to extend the polar observations from the ground have resulted in the need for a review of the physical principles and processes occurring in the polar upper atmosphere. The interdisciplinary nature of these efforts led to the emphasis here on a tutorial program. Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Middle Atmosphere Dynamics and Composition....Pages 1-16 Dynamics of the Thermosphere During Quiet and Disturbed Conditions....Pages 17-30 Wind Induced Composition Effects at High Latitudes....Pages 31-54 The Polar F-Region — Theory....Pages 55-65 Radio Observations of the Auroral F-Region....Pages 67-82 Modification of the F Region by Powerful Radio Waves....Pages 83-98 The Lower Ionosphere at High Latitudes....Pages 99-112 Energy Sources of the High Latitude Upper Atmosphere....Pages 113-127 Techniques for Observing D Region Ionization....Pages 129-141 Auroral Radio Absorption in Relation to Magnetospheric Particles....Pages 143-148 Optical Remote Sensing of the Polar Upper Atmosphere....Pages 149-158 Polar Cap Optical Emissions Observed from the ISIS2 Satellite....Pages 159-164 Optical Emissions in the Polar Auroral E-Region....Pages 165-174 A Review of Optical F-Region Processes in the Polar Atmosphere....Pages 175-187 Neutral Winds in the Polar Cap....Pages 189-198 Difference in Polar Atmospheric Optical Emissions Between Mid-Day and Night-Time Auroras....Pages 199-207 The Solar Wind-Magnetosphere-Ionosphere System: An Overview....Pages 209-218 The Distant Magnetosphere: Reconnection in the Boundary Layers, Cusps and Tail Lobes....Pages 219-228 Plasma Sheet Dynamics: Effects on, and Feedback from, the Polar Ionosphere....Pages 229-244 Relationships Between the Solar Wind and the Polar Cap Magnetic Activity....Pages 245-258 Auroral Morphology: A Television Image of Solar and Magnetospheric Activity....Pages 259-266 Electric Fields in the Dayside Auroral Region....Pages 267-280 Electric Fields and Electrostatic Potentials in the High Latitude Ionosphere....Pages 281-291 Spatial Variations of Ionospheric Electric Fields at High Latitudes on Magnetic Quiet Days....Pages 293-304 Electric Field Measurements with Balloons....Pages 305-314 High Latitude Ionospheric Currents....Pages 315-328 Isis Observations of Auroral Particles and Large-Scale Birkeland Currents....Pages 329-336 Some Aspect of ULF Waves Observed Onboard Geos Related to Convection, Heating and Precipitation Processes....Pages 337-354 Electron Cyclotron Waves in the Earth’s Magnetosphere....Pages 355-366 Magnetospheric Hot Plasma Measurements in Relation to Wave-Particle Interactions on High-Latitude Magnetic Field Lines....Pages 367-380 Mechanisms for Intense Relativistic Electron Precipitation....Pages 381-394 Electronic Waves in the Ionosphere....Pages 395-406 The Changing Aurora of the Past Three Centuries....Pages 407-420 Aurorae, Sunspots and Weather, Mainly Since A.D. 1200....Pages 421-430 Ancient Norwegian Literature in Relation to the Auroral Oval....Pages 431-442 On the Literature of the Aurora in Nordic Countries....Pages 443-448 Effects of Ionospheric Disturbances on High Latitude Radio Wave Propagation....Pages 449-462 The Variability and Predictability of the Main Ionospheric Trough....Pages 463-469 A Report from the International Solar-Terrestrial Prediction Workshop Boulder 23–27 april 1979....Pages 471-480 E and F Region Predictions for Communication Purposes at High Latitudes....Pages 481-494 Back Matter....Pages 495-498 Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute, Lillehammer, Norway, May 5-16, 1980