Thermospheric dynamics studies using the Fabry-Perot Inteferometer network in Western South America

The ionosphere and themosphere dynamics within the Western South American (WSA) region, between ~70-75 W and extending from ~35°S to 5°S, is strongly influenced by the Appleton Fountain effect operating over the geomagnetic equator and by atmospheric forcing effects penetrating from lower-altitude regions. These effects manifest through phenomena that are generally explained by the coupled feedback of ion-neutral processes. These have been analyzed from neutral winds and temperatures from Fabry-Perot Interferometer in Peru and Argentina. The FPI located at the El Leoncito Observatory (31.8S, 69.3W) has been recently upgraded with a narrow-band filter to improve its resilience against contaminant spectral lines. Climatological comparison of our neutral winds and temperatures are discussed and compared with historical observations from the FPI at Jicamarca Radio Observatory (11.9S, 76.9W) along with comparison from empirical and theoretical models.