Thermospheric dynamics during the March 22, 1979, magnetic storm 1. Model simulations

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

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA092iA06p06045· OSTI ID:5993770

Roble, R G ^[1]; Forbes, J M ^[2]; Marcos, F A ^[3]

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1. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO (United States)
2. Boston Univ., MA (United States)
3. Air Force Geophysics Lab., Hanscom AFB, MA (United States)

The physical processes involved in the transfer of energy from the solar wind to the magnetosphere and its release associated with substorms on March 22, 1979, have been studied in detail by the Coordinated Data Analysis Workshop 6 (CDAW 6). The information derived from the CDAW 6 study, as well as other information obtained from magnetospheric modeling, is used to prescribe the time-dependent variations of the parameterizations for the auroral and magnetospheric convection models that are incorporated within the National Center for Atmospheric Research thermospheric general circulation model (TGCM). The period preceding the magnetic storm (March 21) was geomagnetically quiet, and the TGCM was run until a diurnally reproducible pattern was obtained. The time variations of auroral particle precipitation and enhanced magnetospheric convection on March 22 caused a considerable disturbance in the high-latitude circulation, temperature, and composition during the storm period that began at about 1055 UT. Large- and medium-scale disturbances were launched during the event that propagated to equatorial latitudes. The thermospheric response in the northern hemisphere was larger than that generated in the southern hemisphere, because the auroral oval and magnetospheric convection pattenr in the northern hemisphere were in sunlight during the storm period whereas they were in darkness in the southern hemisphere. The storm response was also different in the upper and the lower thermosphere. In the upper thermosphere the winds generally followed the two-cell pattern of magnetospheric convecton with a lag of only 1/2 to 1 hour. In the lower thermosphere there was a pronounced asymmetry between the circulation cells on the dawnside and on the duskside of the polar cap.

• OSTI ID: 5993770
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Vol. 92:A6; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
MAGNETIC STORMS
THERMOSPHERE
DYNAMICS
GENERAL CIRCULATION MODELS
AURORAL OVAL
CHARGED-PARTICLE PRECIPITATION
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
CONVECTION
EARTH MAGNETOSPHERE
ENERGY TRANSFER
RESPONSE FUNCTIONS
SOLAR WIND
TIME DEPENDENCE
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
FUNCTIONS
HEAT TRANSFER
MASS TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MECHANICS
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SOLAR ACTIVITY
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