Some Applied Aspects of the Study of Trends in the Upper and Middle Atmosphere
А. Д. Данилов, N. A. Berbeneva
Abstract
It is shown that that there are currently trends in the parameters of the middle and upper atmosphere and ionosphere that are already leading or may lead in the near future to changes in these spheres. The trends in these parameters, which, in our opinion, can already be used in applied problems, are indicated. The increase in water vapor in the middle atmosphere could influence the state of the ozone layer. This increase explains also the increase in the number of the polar summer mesospheric echoes, which trouble military organizations. There is also a change in the wind system and intensification of the penetration to the ionosphere by internal gravity waves. The latter should lead to a substantial intensification of the “meteorological control” (coupling from below) of the ionosphere. The density trends at satellite altitudes are already leading to an increase in the lifetime of space-debris objects and an increase in the probability of their collisions with space vehicles. The negative trend in the amount of atomic oxygen in the thermosphere most likely indicates intensification of the eddy diffusion. Apparently, this will require the correction of thermospheric models used in many applied problems. The negative trends in the ion temperature in the ionosphere can already influence the operation of global positioning systems. The trends in the total electron content and the “slab thickness” of the ionospheric are related to the correction of the positioning systems and other similar systems. A “descending” of the levels of constant values of Ne in the D region has been detected. This should be taken into account in systems using the propagation of very low-frequency and low-frequency radio waves. The trends in the F2-layer critical frequency may lead in the near future to changes in foF2, which, as the calculations show, substantially influence the parameters of the shortwave radio paths.