Upper Atmosphere

A section of Atmosphere (ISSN 2073-4433).

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The problem of coupling processes in the Earth's atmosphere has recently become of great relevance. Climate change, electric discharges from top of the clouds into the ionosphere, seismo-ionospheric coupling, the role of galactic cosmic rays in cloud formation and hurricane stimulation, and other novel issues present the challenge of reconsidering the energy balance and transformation within the upper atmosphere. Usually, the lower border of the upper atmosphere is positioned at altitudes higher than 50 km, where the processes of molecule dissociation and ionization start to play an important role. This altitude is also considered as the lower border of the ionosphere in models of global electric circuits. However, for this Section, our interest lies in the lower atmosphere up to the tropopause, where the maximum dissipation of galactic cosmic rays is situated, as well as a few kilometers higher than the tropopause, where we focus attention on the ozone layer and its role in atmosphere thermodynamics.

We envisage that this Section will represent the efforts of scientists who are not only atmospheric physicists but also experts in plasma physics, thermodynamics, and other disciplines of geophysics. The new knowledge generated from this endeavor is the direct result of interdisciplinary fusion and sets the foundation for further scientific progress. Download Section Flyer

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