Solar activity effects on the equatorial thermosphere temperature profile

In this paper we present the effects of solar activity on the temperature profiles of the equatorial thermosphere as derived from the neutral density data collected by the San Marco 5 (SM5) satellite. This satellite flew during the increasing part of the solar cycle 22 (1988). It had a quasi-equatorial orbit, with inclination lower than 3 degrees. The range of measurements, from April to December, allows the inference of seasonal and diurnal effects on the temperature profiles. The density data are collected every second along arcs of orbit lasting up to 50 minutes. The analysis of these densities has been already partially presented and provided evidence for several interesting features, in particular the vertical structure of the diurnal harmonic content and its seasonal variations. The temperatures derived from the same data set provide a useful complement to this picture. The SM5 satellite carried on board 5 instruments for studying the equatorial ionosphere and thermosphere, among them, the Drag Balance Instrument (DBI) for measuring the neutral density and the Ion Drift Meter and Potential Retarding Analyzer (IVI) that allow the evaluation of ions concentration, velocity and temperature. It is possible, therefore, to compare the neutral temperature derived from the neutral density data with the ion temperature given by the IVI. (C) 1997 COSPAR. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.