Magnetospheric control of the bulk ionospheric plasma

Technical Report · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:5545664

Sojka, J J; Schunk, R W

The temperature, composition, and circulation of the high-latitude, ionosphere display a marked variation with altitude, latitude, longitude, universal time, season, solar cycle, and geomagnetic activity. This variation is largely a consequence of the effect that magnetospheric electric fields, particle precipitation, and heat flows have on the ionosphere. At F-region altitudes, the entire ionosphere drifts in response to magnetospheric electric fields, with the horizontal drift generally displaying a two-cell pattern of antisunward flow over the polar cap and return flow at lower latitudes. This ionospheric motion, in combination with downward magnetospheric heat flows and ion production due to energetic-particle precipitation, act to produce interesting ionospheric features such as ion and electron temperature hot spots, plasma blobs, localized ionization troughs, and extended tongue of ionization, and anomalous F-region peak altitudes and densities. The time delay for the ionosphere to respond to changing magnetospheric conditions is a strong function of altitude and can be as long as 3 to 4 hours in the upper F-region. The ionosphere's response to changing magnetospheric conditions are described using a time-dependent high-latitude ionospheric model.

• Research Organization: Utah State Univ., Logan (USA). Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences
• OSTI ID: 5545664
• Report Number(s): AD-P-005693/7/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640201* -- Atmospheric Physics-- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magetospheric Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ALTITUDE
CHARGED PARTICLES
CHARGED-PARTICLE PRECIPITATION
DISTRIBUTION
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ENERGY TRANSFER
F REGION
HEAT TRANSFER
INTERACTIONS
IONIZATION
IONOSPHERE
IONOSPHERIC EFFECTS
IONS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
VARIATIONS