Science / Medicine : Huge Storms in Upper Atmosphere

Huge storms with winds of 200 m.p.h. have been discovered in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, 30 to 60 miles above the ground. Scientists told the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco last week that the storms cover areas the size of the United States, and no one had expected such large systems at that altitude.

The discovery was made with a high-resolution Doppler imager on NASA’s recently launched Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite. “We had expected to see a quiet region where winds slosh back and forth, like the sea,” said Paul B. Hays of the University of Michigan.

Hays said the air is so thin at that altitude--a million times thinner than on the surface of the Earth--that “you wouldn’t even feel it.”

He said the discovery is “significant in terms of our understanding the atmosphere,” but the winds have no effect on surface weather.