Observed features of acoustic gravity waves in the heterosphere

According to measurements on the Dynamic Explorer 2 satellite, features of the propagation of acoustic gravity waves (AGWs) in the multicomponent upper atmosphere have been investigated. In the altitude range 250–400 km in wave concentration variations of some atmospheric gases, amplitude and phase differences have been observed. Using the approach proposed in this paper, in different gases, AGW variations have been divided into components associated with elastic compression, adiabatic expansion, and the vertical background distribution. The amplitude and phase differences observed in different gases are explained on the basis of analyzing these components. It is shown how to use this effect in order to determine the wave propagation, the vertical displacement of the volume element, the wave frequency, and the spatial distribution of the wave energy density.