High‐latitude ionospheric conductivity variability in three dimensions

Role of vertical ion convection in the highlatitude ionospheric plasma distribution

[1] We use the Global Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model (GITM) to simulate the ionospheric reaction to a simple step change of the high-latitude forcing terms during the first hour of electric field enhancement. In response to the enhanced convection electric field, both the convection velocity and Joule heating increase dramatically. The changes in NmF2 present that the tongue extends across the p...

A Photochemical Equilibrium Model for Ionospheric Conductivity

Relativistic Magnetospheric Electrons: Lower Ionospheric Conductivity and Long-term Atmospheric Variability

Long-term (1979-88) observations of relativistic electrons in the earth's outer magnetosphere show a strong solar cycle dependence with a prominent intensity maximum during the approach to solar minimum (1983-85). This population therefore closely corresponds to the presence of high-speed solar wind streams emanating from solar coronal holes. Using a numerical code, we have calculated the preci...

A statistical comparison of the AMIE derived and DMSPSSIES observed highlatitude ionospheric electric field

[1] The ion drift velocities and electric field derived from the Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics technique (AMIE) are compared with the same parameters observed by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program’s (DMSP) Special Sensor– Ions, Electrons, and Scintillation (SSIES) instrument. In addition the along-track cross polar cap potential, the correlation between the curve...

Simultaneous ionospheric variability on Earth and Mars

[1] Ionospheric physics deals with the basic structure and variability of plasma within the upper atmospheres of the Earth and planets. Comparative studies foster both exploration and synthesis within diverse settings. In this paper we examine observations of the ionospheric profiles on Mars obtained on 9–27 March 1999 by the radio science experiment onboard the Mars Global Surveyor satellite, ...