Connections Between SEP Effects on the Atmosphere and Terrestrial Ion Outflows

Details Connections Between SEP Effects on the Atmosphere and Terrestrial Ion Outflows Connections Between SEP Effects on the Atmosphere and Terrestrial Ion Outflows

Dec 2002

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002agufmsm71b..10g&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2002, abstract #SM71B-10

Physics

2431 Ionosphere/Magnetosphere Interactions (2736), 2481 Topside Ionosphere, 2704 Auroral Phenomena (2407), 2736 Magnetosphere/Ionosphere Interactions

Scientific paper

Significant increases of solar energetic particles (SEP) impinging on the Earth's atmosphere produce enhanced HOx (H, OH, HO2) and NOx (N, NO, NO2) constituents in the middle atmosphere at polar latitudes of both hemispheres [c.f., Jackman et al., GRL, 2883, 2001]. In addition, energy is deposited into the neutral gas that may elevate temperatures. Either density increases or scale height increases will increase the supply of heavy neutral atoms at higher altitudes. Because charge exchange interactions within the ionosphere maintain the O+/H+ ratio in roughly the same proportions as the neutral O/H particle ratio, an increased scale height of light and heavy atmospheric neutrals should then influence the potential supply of light and heavy ions at the topside ionosphere. Lighter ions experience additional evaporative escape along open field lines so that scale height changes lead to changes in the outward flux preferentially for the heavier, more gravitationally bound species. These changes, which take place well in advance of interplanetary shock impacts on the magnetosphere and the dynamics associated with those interactions, offer the opportunity to investigate possible connections between short time scale solar influences on the atmosphere and the magnetosphere storm dynamics that follow on longer time scales. We examine12 SEP events known to induce enhanced atmospheric neutrals and map the temporal evolution of terrestrial ion outflow to the magnetosphere. Particle trajectory tracings show that changing ion outflow rates due to strong SEP are important contributors to plasma sheet and ring current populations during dynamic conditions.

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