Energy balance of acoustic gravity waves above the polar caps according to the data of satellite measurements

Abstract

Wave disturbances of the Neutral Atmosphere above the polar caps are studied based on the Dynamic Explorer 2 satellite measurements. The characteristic spatial scales of these disturbances are 500— 600 km. Based on an analysis of the synchronous variations in different parameters, these disturbances were interpreted as propagating acoustic gravity waves (AGWs). The mass-spectrometer measurements of concentrations of individual atmospheric gases made it possible to determine the following AGW components: density of the acoustic compression, thermobaric, and average kinetic energies. It has been found out that the average (during the period) densities of the acoustic and thermobaric energies are approximately equal for polar AGWs. The results indicate that the contribution of these waves to the energy of the polar upper atmosphere is considerable.