Thermospheric Density Response to the QBO Signal

Abstract

In this study, we focused on the periodic variations of global average thermospheric density, derived from orbital decay measurements of about 5000 space objects from 1967 to 2013, by using the wavelet power spectrum method. The results demonstrated that the thermospheric density showed an ~11-year period, with semiannual and annual variations, while the seasonal variation was usually more significant under high solar activity conditions. Importantly, we investigated the possible link between the thermospheric density and the QBO, with the aid of the Global Average Mass Density Model (GAMDM) and the different density residuals method. The difference between the measured density and the GAMDM empirical model seemingly had QBO signal, but the ratio of them revealed that the QBO signal could not detect in the thermospheric density. Comprehensively, we found that the stratospheric QBO cannot impact on the thermosphere, and more data and numerical modeling are needed for further validation.