New satellite data reveal that the upper part of the Earth's atmosphere "breathes in" and "exhales" rhythmically with a periodicity of 5 to 9 days. This "respiration" of the planet is a response to cyclical changes in the solar wind , NASA scientists explained yesterday at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Plasma jets (solar wind) emerge from the solar corona that reach the confines of the Solar System. When these particles reach Earth, they heat up the atmosphere, which first expands and then contracts. The finding confirms the great influence that solar activity exerts on our planet.
According to the researchers, the contractions of the Earth 's atmosphere also affect its density. "The hills and valleys of density in the upper atmosphere alternately increase and decrease the speed of the satellites that circulate through it," they explain. And these fluctuations, together with changes in gases and temperature, have made it possible to identify the rhythm of the earth's "gasp."
