The upper atmosphere as a research area encompasses the study of the mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere, including their composition, dynamics, energy balance, and coupling to both the lower atmosphere and near-Earth space. It focuses on processes such as radiative and conductive heating and cooling, wave propagation and breaking, ion-neutral interactions, atmospheric escape, and responses to solar and geomagnetic forcing. Research integrates in situ measurements, remote sensing, and numerical modeling to investigate phenomena like tides, gravity waves, noctilucent clouds, and space weather impacts on communication, navigation, and satellite drag.
Even as temperatures rise on Earth's surface and in the lower atmosphere, the planet's upper atmosphere has cooled dramatically. This paradoxical pattern is a well-known sign of humanity's climate impacts—but until now, the ...
Earth Sciences
May 11, 2026
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13
For the first time, an international team of astronomers have mapped the vertical structure of Uranus's upper atmosphere, uncovering how temperature and charged particles vary with height across the planet. Using Webb's NIRSpec ...
Astronomy
Feb 19, 2026
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74
When part of a SpaceX rocket re-entered Earth's atmosphere exactly a year ago, it created a spectacuglar fireball that streaked across Europe's skies, delighting stargazers and sending a team of scientists rushing toward ...
Space Exploration
Feb 19, 2026
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213
We successfully plugged the hole in the ozone layer that was discovered in the 1980s by banning ozone-depleting substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). But, it seems we might be unintentionally creating another potential ...
Planetary Sciences
Oct 30, 2025
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353
Between 50 and 100 kilometers (30–60 miles) above the Earth's surface lies a largely unstudied stretch of the atmosphere, called the mesosphere. It's too high for airplanes and weather balloons, too low for satellites, and ...
Space Exploration
Aug 13, 2025
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175
Between 50 and 1,000 kilometers above our heads is the ionosphere, a layer of Earth's upper atmosphere consisting of charged particles: ions (atoms that have gained or lost a negatively charged electron) and loose electrons. ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 17, 2025
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19
A new study by researchers including those at the University of Tokyo revealed that atmospheric gravity waves play a crucial role in driving latitudinal air currents on Mars, particularly at high altitudes.
Planetary Sciences
Mar 6, 2025
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745
A team led by researchers at the University of Tokyo has created a dataset of the whole atmosphere, enabling new research to be conducted on previously difficult-to-study regions. The work has been published in Progress in ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 10, 2025
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91
Uranus's upper atmosphere has been cooling for decades—and now scientists have shown why. Observations from Earth have shown Uranus' upper atmosphere has been cooling for decades, with no clear explanation.
Planetary Sciences
Nov 15, 2024
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45
