Abstract
ANALYSIS of satellite orbits1 has indicated that the upper atmosphere at heights between 200 and 400 km is on average rotating faster than the Earth. The method of analysis is to measure the change in the inclination i of an orbit to the equator; the decrease in i, corrected for lunisolar perturbations, is directly proportional to the average rotational speed of the upper atmosphere at heights a little above the satellites' perigee2.
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References
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KING-HELE, D. “Super-rotation” of the Upper Atmosphere at Heights of 150–170 km. Nature 226, 439–440 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1038/226439a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/226439a0
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