In this report we analyze the effects two different approaches of constraining a middle and upper atmospheric general circulation model have on accurately reproducing the middle and upper atmospheric variability induced by the 2010 sudden stratospheric warming event. Numerical experiments were performed using the National Center for Atmospheric Research thermosphere-ionosphere-mesosphere-electrodynamics general circulation model (TIME-GCM) constrained by middle atmospheric winds and temperatures from a high-altitude version of the Navy Global Environmental Model (NAVGEM-HA). Model comparisons focused on zonal mean winds, composition, and atmospheric solar tides in the thermosphere-ionosphere system. We found that implementing different methods of constraint produce differences in the simulated dynamics of mesosphere and lower thermosphere, the consequences of which have adverse effects on simulating the peak ionospheric electron density.
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