Title: New results on equatorial thermosphere dynamics from Brazil and Peru Abstract: Since the previous talk presented at Boston College in August 2012 on equatorial

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Title:NewresultsonequatorialthermospheredynamicsfromBrazilandPeru
Abstract:SincetheprevioustalkpresentedatBostonCollegeinAugust2012onequatorial
thermospheredynamics,newprogresshasbeenmaderegardingthemeasurementsof
windsandtemperaturesintheSouthAmericanlongitudinalregion.Evidenceindicating
thedevelopmentofnegativemeridionalwindgradientsduringtheeveninghasbeenfound
forthenortheasternregionofBrazilbetweenthegeomagneticequatorandthesouthern
Appletonanomaly.Theexistenceofthesegradientssupportstheideaofapossible
mechanismthatmightunderliethedestabilizationoftheF‐regionplasmacausing
scintillationandESFevents.Inaddition,aninterestingapproachtothestudyofthe
equatorialthermosphereneutralwindfieldhasbeendevelopedthatisbaseduponanew
methodofmappingtheneutralwindfield.ThisisastrategyinwhichtheDopplershiftsfor
8equi‐spacedazimuthalobservationsofthethermosphereneutralwindfieldareusedto
determinetheparametersofamodelforthewindfieldmapfeaturingthefirstorder
expansionoftheuandvcomponentsoftheneutralwindvectorintermsofthezonaland
meridionalgradientsforbothuandvvectorcomponents.Resultsillustratesystematic
changesinthevorticityanddivergenceofthewindfieldasafunctionoflocaltimethat
occurasaresultoftheeveningday‐to‐nightpressuregradientandthesemi‐diurnaltidal
wavestructurethatunderliesthepolewardpropagationofthemidnightpressurebulge
throughthethermosphere.
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