Atmospheric Science Across the Stratopause [Hardcover]

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Geophysical Monograph Series, Volume 123.

In recent years, two separate geophysical research cultures have developed in the United States to study the atmosphere: one of space scientists, who focus on the mesosphere, thermosphere and ionosphere, and the other of atmospheric scientists, who focus on the troposphere and stratosphere. The boundary between these two research domains roughly coincides with the stratopause (50 km). While the division ofthe atmosphere into layers and boundaries serves as a useful way to characterize the various chemical and dynamical processes that distinguish these layers, these boundaries are not impermeable. To understand such critical issues as global change, geophysicists must study the atmosphere as an integrated system. The purpose of this monograph is to highlight those studies that consider the coupling of these two regions and thus bring together two scientific specialties (atmospheric science and space science) that are often considered separately.

Preface
David E. Siskind, Stephen D. Eckermann, and Michael E. Summers ix

Introduction
David E. Siskind, Stephen D. Eckermann, and Michael E. Summers 1

Tutorials

Natural and Human-Induced Perturbations in the Middle Atmosphere: A Short Tutorial
Guy P. Brasseur, Anne K. Smith, Rashid Khosravi, Theresa Huang, Stacy Walters, Simon Chabrillat,
and Gaston Kockarts 7

The Role of Waves in the Transport Circulation of the Middle Atmosphere
James R. Holton and M. Joan Alexander 21

A Contemporary Assessment of the Mesospheric Energy Budget
Martin G. Mlynczak 37

On the Feasibility of Developing a Global Atmospheric Mlc3