Bibliography

Development and Validation of Precipitation Enhanced Densities for the Empirical Canadian High Arctic Ionospheric Model

The Empirical Canadian High Artic Ionospheric Model (E-CHAIM) provides the four-dimensional ionosphere electron density at northern high latitudes (\textgreater50° geomagnetic latitude). Despite its emergence as the most reliable model for high-latitude ionosphere density, there remain significant deficiencies in E-CHAIM s representation of the lower ionosphere (below ∼200 km) due to a sparsity of reliable measurements at these altitudes, particularly during energetic particle precipitation events. To address this deficiency, we have developed a precipitation component for E-CHAIM to be driven by satellite-based far-ultraviolet (FUV) imager data. Satellite observations of FUV emissions may be used to infer the characteristics of energetic particle precipitation and subsequently calculate the precipitation-enhanced ionization rates and ionosphere densities. In order to demonstrate the improvement of E-CHAIM s ionosphere density representation with the addition of a precipitation component, this paper presents comparisons of E-CHAIM precipitation-enhanced densities with ionosphere density measurements of three auroral region incoherent scatter radars (ISRs) and one polar cap ISR. Calculations for 29,038 satellite imager and ISR conjunctions during the years 2005–2019 revealed that the root-mean-square difference between E-CHAIM and ISR measurements decreased by up to 2.9 × 1010 ele/m3 (altitude dependent) after inclusion of the precipitation component at auroral sites, and by 2.6 × 109 ele/m3 in the polar cap. Improvements were most substantial in the winter season and during active auroral conditions. The sensitivity of precipitation-enhanced densities to uncertainties inherent to the calculation method was also examined, with the bulk of the errors due to uncertainties in FUV imager data and choice of distribution function for precipitation energy spectra.

Watson, C.; Themens, D.; Jayachandran, P.;

Published by: Space Weather      Published on:

YEAR: 2021     DOI: 10.1029/2021SW002779

auroral region; Ionosphere; ionosphere density; magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere coupling; particle precipitation; polar cap

Ionosphere-thermosphere (IT) response to solar wind forcing during magnetic storms

During magnetic storms, there is a strong response in the ionosphere and thermosphere which occurs at polar latitudes. Energy input in the form of Poynting flux and energetic particle precipitation, and energy output in the form of heated ions and neutrals have been detected at different altitudes and all local times. We have analyzed a number of storms, using satellite data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE), and Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) mission. Poynting flux measured by instruments on four DMSP spacecraft during storms which occurred in 2011\textendash2012 was observed in both hemispheres to peak at both auroral and polar latitudes. By contrast, the measured ion temperatures at DMSP and maxima in neutral density at GOCE and GRACE altitudes maximize in the polar region most frequently with little evidence of Joule heating at auroral latitudes at these spacecraft orbital locations.

Huang, Cheryl; Huang, Yanshi; Su, Yi-Jiun; Sutton, Eric; Hairston, Marc; Coley, William;

Published by: Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate      Published on: 01/2016

YEAR: 2016     DOI: 10.1051/swsc/2015041

Energy distribution; Ionosphere; polar cap; solar wind; thermosphere

Ionization due to electron and proton precipitation during the August 2011 storm

The parameterizations of monoenergetic particle impact ionization in Fang et al. (2010) (Fang2010) and Fang et al. (2013) (Fang2013) are applied to the complex energy spectra measured by DMSP F16 satellite to calculate the ionization rates from electron and ion precipitations for a Northern Hemisphere pass from 0030 UT to 0106 UT on 6 August 2011. Clear enhancement of electron flux is found in the polar cap. The mean electron energy in the polar cap is mostly above 100 eV, while the mean energy in the auroral zone is typically above 1 keV. At the same time, F16 captures a strong Poynting flux enhancement in the polar cap, which is comparable to those in the auroral zone. The particle impact ionization rates using Fang2010 and Fang2013 parameterizations show clear enhancement at F region altitudes mainly due to the low-energy precipitating electrons, peaking probably in the cusp but also showing enhanced levels throughout most of the polar cap region. The general circulation models (GCMs), National Center for Atmospheric Research Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model, and Global Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model, using their default empirical formulations of particle impact ionization, do not capture the observed features shown in the total particle ionization rate applying the Fang2010 and Fang2013 parameterizations to DMSP measurements. The difference between GCM simulations and Fang2010 and Fang2013 applied to DMSP data is due to the difference of both the inputs to the models and the parameterization of the ionization rates.

Huang, Yanshi; Huang, Cheryl; Su, Yi-Jiun; Deng, Yue; Fang, Xiaohua;

Published by: Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics      Published on: 04/2014

YEAR: 2014     DOI: 10.1002/2013JA019671

Fang 2010 parameterization; Fang 2013 parameterization; particle impact ionization; polar cap