Summary
A simplified three dimensional, time-dependant model of a local region of Earth's thermosphere is being developed to investigate dynamical processes occurring over spatial scales of less than 100 km. Because hydrostatic equilibrium is not enforced in the model, it is well suited for studying processes that must be represented with high spatial and temporal resolution, such as wave activity and local upwelling. The model domain currently extends 1000 km zonally, 600 km meridionally and encompasses the 100 to 400 km altitude range. The typical cell size is 20 x 15 x 0.75 km. The model is being used to conduct simple numerical experiments that characterize the thermospheric response to various scenarios of time-dependent energy and momentum deposition. Some initial results will be presented.