Using a two-dimensional, nested-grid model of the thermosphere, with high-latitude resolution, the dynamic, energy, and composition response to a number of electrodynamic features has been considered. The forcing is characterized by a Gaussian latitude distribution of the convective electric field across the dawn or dusk auroral ovals with scale sizes ranging from 1¿ to 5¿ latitude full width at half maximum, together with an enhancement of E region ion density characteristic of the diffuse aurora. An extreme case for long-lived features of the 100 mV m-1 electric field is considered, together with a more realistic magnitude of 50 mV m-1, coexisting with a 3¿1011 m-3 ion density enhancement at low altitudes. The dynamic response is shown to be critically dependent on the magnitude of the winds across the source channel, either self-induced or imposed from external sources. Self-induced cross winds result from the action of the Coriolis force and, in addition, in the lower thermosphere, by the action of Hall drag. Crosswinds are shown to create plumes of momentum downwind and inhibit the peak neutral wind response that would otherwise exist. The combination of increased self-induced cross wind and increasing width of the source creates a surprisingly similar peak in the zonal neutral wind response at high altitudes. The crosswinds induced by the Hall drag imply that a greater lower thermosphere zonal neutral wind is created by the 50 mV m-1 electric field compared with the 100 mV m-1 source. During the recovery a lower thermosphere jet is shown to persist for many hours with a slight preference for the smaller-scale features.

A stronger response is predicted in the dusk sector due to an inertial balance that exists, which implies that small-scale features existing in the dusk sector are more likely to have an observable neutral response. The temperature perturbation is shown to be dependent on a self-consistent treatment of composition and to increase in magnitude as the width of the source increases.