The Need for Better Monitoring of Climate Change in the Middle and Upper Atmosphere

Abstract Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions significantly impact the middle and upper atmosphere. They cause cooling and thermal shrinking and affect the atmospheric structure. Atmospheric contraction results in changes in key atmospheric features, such as the stratopause height or the peak iono...

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Main Authors: Juan A. Añel, Ingrid Cnossen, Juan Carlos Antuña‐Marrero, Gufran Beig, Matthew K. Brown, Eelco Doornbos, Scott Osprey, Shaylah Maria Mutschler, Celia Pérez Souto, Petr Šácha, Viktoria Sofieva, Laura de la Torre, Shun‐Rong Zhang, Martin G. Mlynczak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-04-01
Series:AGU Advances
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2024AV001465
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author Juan A. Añel
Ingrid Cnossen
Juan Carlos Antuña‐Marrero
Gufran Beig
Matthew K. Brown
Eelco Doornbos
Scott Osprey
Shaylah Maria Mutschler
Celia Pérez Souto
Petr Šácha
Viktoria Sofieva
Laura de la Torre
Shun‐Rong Zhang
Martin G. Mlynczak
author_facet Juan A. Añel
Ingrid Cnossen
Juan Carlos Antuña‐Marrero
Gufran Beig
Matthew K. Brown
Eelco Doornbos
Scott Osprey
Shaylah Maria Mutschler
Celia Pérez Souto
Petr Šácha
Viktoria Sofieva
Laura de la Torre
Shun‐Rong Zhang
Martin G. Mlynczak
author_sort Juan A. Añel
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions significantly impact the middle and upper atmosphere. They cause cooling and thermal shrinking and affect the atmospheric structure. Atmospheric contraction results in changes in key atmospheric features, such as the stratopause height or the peak ionospheric electron density, and also results in reduced thermosphere density. These changes can impact, among others, the lifespan of objects in low Earth orbit, refraction of radio communication and GPS signals, and the peak altitudes of meteoroids entering the Earth's atmosphere. Given this, there is a critical need for observational capabilities to monitor the middle and upper atmosphere. Equally important is the commitment to maintaining and improving long‐term, homogeneous data collection. However, capabilities to observe the middle and upper atmosphere are decreasing rather than improving.
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spelling doaj-art-13fcfcfddd06434da2ba3cff096726252025-08-20T02:28:44ZengWileyAGU Advances2576-604X2025-04-0162n/an/a10.1029/2024AV001465The Need for Better Monitoring of Climate Change in the Middle and Upper AtmosphereJuan A. Añel0Ingrid Cnossen1Juan Carlos Antuña‐Marrero2Gufran Beig3Matthew K. Brown4Eelco Doornbos5Scott Osprey6Shaylah Maria Mutschler7Celia Pérez Souto8Petr Šácha9Viktoria Sofieva10Laura de la Torre11Shun‐Rong Zhang12Martin G. Mlynczak13EPhysLab CIM‐UVigo Universidade de Vigo Ourense SpainBritish Antarctic Survey Cambridge UKEPhysLab CIM‐UVigo Universidade de Vigo Ourense SpainNational Institute of Advanced Study (NIAS) Indian Institute of Science Campus Bengaluru IndiaSERENE University of Birmingham Birmingham UKKNMI De Bilt The NetherlandsAOPP University of Oxford Oxford UKSpace Environment Technologies Los Angeles CA USAEPhysLab CIM‐UVigo Universidade de Vigo Ourense SpainFaculty of Mathematics and Physics Charles University Prague Czech RepublicFinnish Meteorological Institute Helsinki FinlandEPhysLab CIM‐UVigo Universidade de Vigo Ourense SpainHaystack Observatory MIT Cambridge MA USASpace Environment Technologies Los Angeles CA USAAbstract Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions significantly impact the middle and upper atmosphere. They cause cooling and thermal shrinking and affect the atmospheric structure. Atmospheric contraction results in changes in key atmospheric features, such as the stratopause height or the peak ionospheric electron density, and also results in reduced thermosphere density. These changes can impact, among others, the lifespan of objects in low Earth orbit, refraction of radio communication and GPS signals, and the peak altitudes of meteoroids entering the Earth's atmosphere. Given this, there is a critical need for observational capabilities to monitor the middle and upper atmosphere. Equally important is the commitment to maintaining and improving long‐term, homogeneous data collection. However, capabilities to observe the middle and upper atmosphere are decreasing rather than improving.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024AV001465climate changeupper atmospheremiddle atmosphereEarth observationspace debris
spellingShingle Juan A. Añel
Ingrid Cnossen
Juan Carlos Antuña‐Marrero
Gufran Beig
Matthew K. Brown
Eelco Doornbos
Scott Osprey
Shaylah Maria Mutschler
Celia Pérez Souto
Petr Šácha
Viktoria Sofieva
Laura de la Torre
Shun‐Rong Zhang
Martin G. Mlynczak
The Need for Better Monitoring of Climate Change in the Middle and Upper Atmosphere
AGU Advances
climate change
upper atmosphere
middle atmosphere
Earth observation
space debris
title The Need for Better Monitoring of Climate Change in the Middle and Upper Atmosphere
title_full The Need for Better Monitoring of Climate Change in the Middle and Upper Atmosphere
title_fullStr The Need for Better Monitoring of Climate Change in the Middle and Upper Atmosphere
title_full_unstemmed The Need for Better Monitoring of Climate Change in the Middle and Upper Atmosphere
title_short The Need for Better Monitoring of Climate Change in the Middle and Upper Atmosphere
title_sort need for better monitoring of climate change in the middle and upper atmosphere
topic climate change
upper atmosphere
middle atmosphere
Earth observation
space debris
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2024AV001465
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