Polar CAP Patches as Tracers of Thermospheric o2 Scale Height

Details Polar CAP Patches as Tracers of Thermospheric o2 Scale Height Polar CAP Patches as Tracers of Thermospheric o2 Scale Height

Dec 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufmsa51c1644d&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #SA51C-1644

Physics

Plasma Physics

[0355] Atmospheric Composition And Structure / Thermosphere: Composition And Chemistry, [2475] Ionosphere / Polar Cap Ionosphere, [7894] Space Plasma Physics / Instruments And Techniques

Scientific paper

A series of polar cap patches, indicated by localized density enhancement of the nightside F-region ionosphere and by associated airglow structuring, were detected over a 2 hour period on 21 January 2001 with incoherent-scatter radar (ISR) and allsky camera (ASC) measurements at the Sondrestrom research facility (66.99 N, 309.05 E). ISR data identified the large-scale Ne enhancements to be drifting at an E X B velocity of 300 - 500 m/s (VISR). Elevation-angle-versus-time for five individual patch events were extracted from analysis of 630-nm (oxygen OI) brightness gradients at the leading edge of the emission structures. Prior airglow modeling indicates that 630 nm emission originates in a relatively thin (~30 km) layer on the bottomside of the patch Ne enhancement at the altitude where O+ charge exchange with thermospheric O2 maximizes. By assuming 630-nm slab emission at a localized "centroid" emission altitude (Z630), angular velocity can be converted into an optically derived patch drift velocity (VOPT). We describe herein a process to select an optimal Z630 value that minimizes the error between VISR and VOPT and interprets the result in terms of O2 scale height (and temperature). In general we show that ISR-derived HmF, NmF, and bottomside scale height, together with Z630 can be used with the GLOW model to extract thermospheric temperature from suitably targeted polar cap patch events.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Polar CAP Patches as Tracers of Thermospheric o2 Scale Height does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Polar CAP Patches as Tracers of Thermospheric o2 Scale Height, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Polar CAP Patches as Tracers of Thermospheric o2 Scale Height will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1506008