Is There Enough Solar EUV to Maintain the Global Mean Thermospheric Temperature? Revisiting a 37-year-old Problem (Invited)

Details Is There Enough Solar EUV to Maintain the Global Mean Thermospheric Temperature? Revisiting a 37-year-old Problem (Invited) Is There Enough Solar EUV to Maintain the Global Mean Thermospheric Temperature? Revisiting a 37-year-old Problem (Invited)

Dec 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmsa24a..02s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #SA24A-02

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

[0358] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Thermosphere: Energy Deposition, [1650] Global Change / Solar Variability, [2423] Ionosphere / Ionization Processes, [7538] Solar Physics, Astrophysics, And Astronomy / Solar Irradiance

Scientific paper

Since 1973, when Roble and Dickinson first attempted to reconcile measurements of the solar extreme-ultraviolet spectrum with thermospheric temperatures [R. G. Roble and R. E. Dickinson, J. Geophys. Res., 78, 249, 1973], investigators have struggled to understand thermosphere, ionosphere, photoelectron, and airglow observations in the context of our evolving understanding of solar energetic photons. Despite a rich history of observations by satellite and rocket instruments, spanning the spectral range from soft X-rays through the extreme-ultraviolet to the far ultraviolet, and covering most of four solar cycles, uncertainties in the magnitude and variability of the solar spectrum have persisted, particularly at the shortest wavelengths. A recurring theme of these issues has been an ongoing desire of modelers for more photons, especially energetic ones. Now, with simultaneous solar observations by the SEE instrument on the TIMED satellite, the SEM instrument on the SOHO spacecraft, the EVE instrument on the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and calibration rocket flights, we should at last be able to close this chapter in aeronomy. However, new challenges continue to materialize, including the anomalously low levels of solar EUV during the 2008-2009 solar minimum, and the surprisingly rapid cooling of the thermosphere due to increasing levels of anthropogenic carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. This presentation reviews the history of solar measurements and their interplay with modeling efforts, assesses the current state of knowledge, identifies key remaining uncertainties, and suggests the need for revision of thermospheric cooling rates.

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