Effects of geomagnetic activity in the winter thermosphere 2. Magnetically disturbed conditions

Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/JA093iA09p09937· OSTI ID:5994362

Hagan, M E ^[1]

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1. Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge (United States)

The effects of geomagnetic activity on the middle-latitude ionosphere and thermosphere which were monitored by the Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar during a series of large magnetic substorms during February 7-10, 1986, are presented and discussed. These data are compared with similar measurements from the geomagnetically undisturbed January 1986 period. The effects of ion-neutral frictional heating associated with magnetic substorms are initially quantified by comparative analyses of the ion temperatures from the January and February 1986 experiments. Ion temperature enhancements of 900-1,500K were observed between 30{degree} and 50{degree}N during the most intense substorm. Thermospheric temperature and wind determinations from the two periods are similarly compared. Exospheric temperature enhancements of 200-500K characterize the entire storm period, with larger enhancements during the most disturbed times. Thermospheric temperatures remained elevated well into the recovery period. The accuracy of the Joule heating correction to the temperature determinations for the February experiment is measured against three cases: no neutral motion, neutral motion equal in magnitude and direction to the ion flow, and neutral motion equal in magnitude but opposite in direction to the ion flow. Finally, thermospheric meridional wind field are presented and discussed.

• OSTI ID: 5994362
• Journal Information: Journal of Geophysical Research; (United States), Vol. 93:A9; ISSN 0148-0227
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
MAGNETIC BAYS
IONOSPHERIC EFFECTS
THERMOSPHERE
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
WIND
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ION TEMPERATURE
IONOSPHERE
JOULE HEATING
MONITORING
RADAR
SEASONS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRIC HEATING
EVALUATION
HEATING
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLASMA HEATING
RANGE FINDERS
RESISTANCE HEATING
661320* - Auroral
Ionospheric
& Magnetospheric Phenomena- (1992-)