Dynamical and thermal changes in the mesosphere driven by sudden stratospheric warming events are investigated using a ten-year database of ground-based spectroscopic data from the pole regions and satellite data from lower latitudes. The observations are compared with the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Exosphere Global Circulation Model (TIEGCM) to untangle the drivers associated with amplification of the four-day mesospheric tidal wave, breakdown of the polar vortex, and mesospheric cooling during periods of stratospheric warming. The required data analysis and interpretation is brought into the graduate and undergraduate classrooms as special projects and as new classes. Special outreach in space physics education includes the collaboration of Bethune-Cookman College students in the research.
