Interactions Between the Lower, Middle and Upper Atmosphere

This survey of atmospheric regions is based on a presentation given at the Workshop on Coupling between Earth's Atmosphere and its Plasma Environment. The workshop was sponsored by the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) during September 2010. This survey begins with descriptions of aspects of the troposphere, stratosphere, and mesosphere that affect vertical coupling. Then the tropopause, stratopause, and mesopause are considered, with a discussion of how they inhibit or allow the transmission of atmospheric mass or perturbations. Two transition interfaces are emphasized: the tropopause, which separates the troposphere from the middle atmosphere, and the mesopause, which separates the middle atmosphere from the thermosphere. The survey of coupling processes looks at radiative processes, wave propagation, and mass exchange. Each topic includes one or more specific examples drawn from recent literature.