Remote influences between different latitudes and heights are an essential feature of the earth's atmosphere. Vertical coupling processes between the troposphere and middle atmosphere are a primary driver for the short-term and long-term variabilities in the middle atmosphere. Several kinds of teleconnection patterns in the troposphere have much impact on the surface weather and climate. In addition, an interhemispheric coupling process (i.e., connection between the stratosphere in the winter hemisphere and the mesosphere in the summer hemisphere) was recently identified and attracted much attention. This session focuses on the interhemispheric and intrahemispheric coupling processes in the earth's atmosphere. A wide variety of studies based on observations and modeling for the interhemispheric and intrahemispheric coupling are welcome.

Vertical coupling mechanisms throughout the whole atmosphere are critical to understanding the near Earth space environment, as well as its sensitivity to the solar, geomagnetic, and atmospheric drivers. This international session focuses on physical/chemical processes occurring in the mesosphere, thermosphere, and ionosphere (MTI) from both the poles to the equatorial region. Both quiet and disturbed states in response to lower atmospheric forcing or solar forcing are important for understanding the MTI system and its coupling to other regions. We invite presentations of observations and observational concepts with ground-based and/or space-borne instruments, theoretical studies, numerical simulations, and development of data analysis systems for various kinds of temporal and spatial variations in MTI system.

Increasing number of observation opportunities in the Earth's ionosphere and upper atmosphere advances the research of the ionospheric weather in the recent two decades. In the ground segment, global deployment of ground-based GNSS receivers and newly installed/planned radars and airglow imagers greatly extend the observation coverage. In the space segment, the Swarm mission and the upcoming missions that are scheduled for launch in 2017, including NASA-ICON, NASA-GOLD and FORMOSAT-7/COSMIC-2, provide a variety of observation worldwide. With the large amount and diversity of datasets, sophisticated theoretical and empirical models can be validated, and implemented or inclusion of newly discovered thermospheric and ionospheric structures. Additionally, advances in application of data assimilation technique on the ionospheric forecast model have also been made. These recent advances in observations and models are important to move forward the status of the ionospheric space weather forecast. It is the purpose of this session to solicit studies providing observations as well as theoretical, empirical and data assimilation modeling on the multiple scales of ionosphere plasma structures, from global morphology to irregularities and traveling ionospheric disturbances. Studies on both magnetically quiescent and disturbed conditions will also be addressed.