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<abstract xmlns="http://eprints.org/ep2/data/2.0">Long-term observations of total nightglow intensity&#13;
of the atomic oxygen red 630.0 nm line at Abastumani&#13;
(41.75� N, 42.82� E) in 1957–1993 and measurements of the&#13;
ionosphere F2 layer parameters from the Tbilisi ionosphere&#13;
station (41.65� N, 44.75� E) in 1963–1986 have been analyzed.&#13;
It is shown that a decrease in the long-term trend of&#13;
the mean annual red 630.0 nm line intensity from the premidnight&#13;
value (+0.770±1.045 R/year) to its minimum negative&#13;
value (−1.080±0.670 R/year) at the midnight/after midnight&#13;
is a possible result of the observed lowering of the&#13;
peak height of the ionosphere F2 layer electron density hmF2&#13;
(−0.455±0.343 km/year). A theoretical simulation is carried&#13;
out using a simple Chapman-type layer (damping in time) for&#13;
the height distribution of the F2 layer electron density. The&#13;
estimated values of the lowering in the hmF2, the increase&#13;
in the red line intensity at pre-midnight and its decrease at&#13;
midnight/after midnight are close to their observational ones,&#13;
when a negative trend in the total neutral density of the upper&#13;
atmosphere and an increase in the mean northward wind (or&#13;
its possible consequence – a decrease in the southward one)&#13;
are assumed.</abstract>
