Thermospheric disturbances caused by the propagation of acoustic-gravity waves from the lower atmosphere during a solar eclipse

Abstract

The paper studies disturbances of the upper thermosphere caused by the vertical propagation of acoustic-gravity waves (AGW) from the lower atmosphere during the solar eclipse on March 20, 2015. The experimentally obtained data on pressure variations near the Earth’s surface during the solar eclipse on March 20, 2015 over Kaliningrad ( 54 ° N , 20 ° E ) are used as the source of waves. The calculation results showed that the passage of a solar eclipse is accompanied by an increase in wave activity in the lower atmosphere in the AGW range with periods of ~ 4–20 min. In the thermosphere, at altitudes of ~ 200 km, disturbances are formed due to the dissipation of AGWs coming from the lower atmosphere. These disturbances have characteristic periods of ~ 50 min and propagate in opposite direction to the movement of the solar eclipse region along the Earth’s surface. The obtained characteristic features of disturbances in the upper atmosphere are in qualitative agreement with the results of observations of ionospheric disturbances during a solar eclipse.