LAUSR

Using numerical simulations of the general atmospheric circulation during boreal winter, statistically confident evidences are obtained for the first time, demonstrating that changes in the solar activity (SA) in the thermosphere at heights above 100 km can influence propagation and reflection conditions for stationary planetary waves (SPWs) and can modify the middle atmosphere circulation below 100 km. A numerical mechanistic model simulating atmospheric circulation and SPWs at heights 0–300 km is used. To achieve sufficient statistical confidence, 80 pairs of 15‐day intervals were extracted from an ensemble of 16 pairs of model runs corresponding to low and high SA. Results averaged over these intervals show that impacts of SA above 100 km change the mean zonal wind and temperature up to 10% at altitudes below 100 km. The statistically confident changes in SPW amplitudes due to SA impacts above 100 km reach up to 50% in the thermosphere and 10–15% in the middle atmosphere depending on zonal wavenumber. Changes in wave amplitudes correspond to variations of the Eliassen‐Palm flux andmay alter dynamical and thermal SPW impacts on the mean wind and temperature. Thus, variable conditions of SPW propagation and reflection at thermospheric altitudes may influence the middle atmosphere circulation, thermal structure, and planetary waves. Plain Language Summary Atmospheric large‐scale disturbances, for instance planetary waves, play a valuable role in atmospheric general circulation, influencing its dynamical and thermal conditions. Solar activity might significantly change the mean temperature at heights above 100 km and alter conditions of wave propagation and reflection in the thermosphere. In the present study, we perform numerical simulations to obtain statistically confident results showing noticeable response of atmospheric circulation at altitudes below 100 km to impacts of solar activity above 100 km.