The energy balance of the nighttime thermosphere

Abstract

Energy balance considerations for the thermosphere are affected by the uncertainty of the solar EUV flux. The problem is simplified by investigating only the nighttime thermosphere. Vapor trail measurements provide wind data at the sunset and sunrise terminators and near the polar cap boundary. Temperature and density profiles were obtained from incoherent scatter and Ogo 6 measurements. Based on the available data the energy losses are estimated to be 8 × 1010 W due to downward conduction at 120 km and 3 × 1010 W due to infrared radiation. The energy carried by the measured winds from the polar cap is found to be 4.6 × 1010 W and that transported across the mid‐ and low‐latitude terminators, 7.6 to 11 × 1010 W. The greatest uncertainty in this analysis was in the estimates of the differences in the densities and temperatures in the lower thermosphere at the dawn and dusk terminators. Because of the large rotational velocity of the earth, small differences in these parameters correspond to large amounts of energy transported to the night hemisphere.