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Abstract The polarFregion ionosphere frequently exhibits sporadic variability (e.g., Meek, 1949,https://doi.org/10.1029/JZ054i004p00339; Hill, 1963,https://doi.org/10.1175/1520‐0469(1963)020<0492:SEOLII>2.0.CO;2). Recent satellite data analysis (Noja et al., 2013,https://doi.org/10.1002/rds.20033; Chartier et al., 2018,https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JA024811) showed that the high‐latitudeFregion ionosphere exhibits sporadic enhancements more frequently in January than in July in both the northern and southern hemispheres. The same pattern has been seen in statistics of the degradation and total loss of GPS service onboard low‐Earth orbit satellites (Xiong et al. 2018,https://doi.org/10.5194/angeo‐36‐679‐2018). Here, we confirm the existence of this annual pattern using ground GPS‐based images of TEC from the MIDAS algorithm. Images covering January and July 2014 confirm that the high‐latitude (>70 MLAT)Fregion exhibits a substantially larger range of values in January than in July in both the northern and southern hemispheres. The range of TEC values observed in the polar caps is 38–57 TECU (north‐south) in January versus 25–37 TECU in July. First‐principle modeling using SAMI3 reproduces this pattern, and indicates that it is caused by an asymmetry in plasma levels (30% higher in January than in July across both polar caps), as well as 17% longer O+plasma lifetimes in northern hemisphere winter, compared to southern hemisphere winter.
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High‐Latitude Electrodynamics Specified in SAMI3 Using AMPERE Field‐Aligned Currents
Abstract A new technique has been developed to determine the high‐latitude electric potential from observed field‐aligned currents (FACs) and modeled ionospheric conductances. FACs are observed by the Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment (AMPERE), while the conductances are modeled by Sami3 is Also a Model of the Ionosphere (SAMI3). This is a development of the Magnetosphere‐Ionosphere Coupling approach first demonstrated by Merkin and Lyon (2010),https://doi.org/10.1029/2010ja015461. An advantage of using SAMI3 is that the model can be used to predict total electron content (TEC), based on the AMPERE‐derived potential solutions. 23 May 2014 is chosen as a case study to assess the new technique for a moderately disturbed case (min Dst: −36 nT, max AE: 909 nT) with good GPS data coverage. The new AMPERE/SAMI3 solutions are compared against independent GPS‐based TEC observations from the Multi‐Instrument Data Analysis Software (MIDAS) by Mitchell and Spencer (2003), and against Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) ion drift data. The comparison shows excellent agreement between the location of the tongue of ionization in the MIDAS GPS data and the AMPERE/SAMI3 potential pattern, and good overall agreement with DMSP drifts. SAMI3 predictions of high‐latitude TEC are much improved when using the AMPERE‐derived potential as compared to Weimer's (2005),https://doi.org/10.1029/2005ja011270model. The two potential models have substantial differences, with Weimer producing an average 77 kV cross‐cap potential versus 60 kV for the AMPERE‐derived potential. The results indicate that the 66‐satellite Iridium constellation provides sufficient resolution of FACs to estimate large‐scale ionospheric convection as it impacts TEC.
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- PAR ID:
- 10375237
- Publisher / Repository:
- DOI PREFIX: 10.1029
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Space Weather
- Volume:
- 20
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 1542-7390
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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