Interactions between neutral thermospheric composition and the polar ionosphere using a coupled ionosphere-thermosphere model

Journal Article · Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA092iA07p07744· OSTI ID:5556963

Fuller-Rowell, T J; Rees, D ^[1]; Quegan, S; Moffett, R J; Bailey, G J ^[2]

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1. University College, London (United Kingdom)
2. Univ. of Sheffield (United Kingdom)

A fully self-consistent numerical model of the polar ionosphere and the global thermosphere has been developed to study the dynamical and chemical interactions between the neutral and ionospheric constituents of the polar regions. In the polar F region, the seasonal anomaly in ionospheric density is caused by the neutral thermospheric compositional response to the interhemispheric circulation cell near solstice, including the effect of the self-consistent input from geomagnetic heating. A tongue of ionization is carried by convection into the winter polar cap from the vicinity of the dayside (sunlit) polar cusp, while the auroral oval, at F region altitudes, is barely distinct from the surrounding lower-latitude and polar regions. The subauroral trough of the winter hemisphere is caused by stagnation, and is thus dominated by characteristics of the polar convection pattern. A deep plasma trough is cut through the summer (southern) polar cap around 0600 UT, resulting from upwelling by geomagnetic forcing and solar insolation enhancement of molecular nitrogen.

• OSTI ID: 5556963
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States) Vol. 92:A7; ISSN 0148-0227; ISSN JGREA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

661320* -- Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena-- (1992-)
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION
AURORAL OVAL
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
DYNAMICS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
F REGION
HEATING
INTERACTIONS
IONIZATION
IONOSPHERE
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MECHANICS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLASMA DENSITY
POLAR CUSP
POLAR REGIONS
THERMOSPHERE