Observations of Record-Low Thermospheric Densities During the Current Solar Minimum (Invited)

Physics – Plasma Physics

Scientific paper

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[0350] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Pressure, Density, And Temperature, [0355] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Thermosphere: Composition And Chemistry, [1610] Global Change / Atmosphere, [7853] Space Plasma Physics / Spacecraft/Atmosphere Interactions

Scientific paper

We use global average thermospheric total mass densities, derived from the drag effect on the orbits of many space objects, to study the behavior of the thermosphere during the current prolonged solar minimum. At fixed heights, thermospheric densities during 2007-2009 were the lowest observed in 40 years of measurements, and were anomalously low (by 10-25%) compared to levels expected from past behavior during the previous two minima. These anomalies appear to have started in 2005, when solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) irradiance was well above the current prolonged low levels. We assess several possible contributors to the observed density anomalies, including 1) the accuracy of solar EUV levels as represented by proxies, 2) the timescales of the thermospheric density response to solar irradiance and geomagnetic forcing, and 3) changes in the radiative properties of the underlying mesosphere and lower thermosphere.

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