Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2003
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003agufm.p52b..04k&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2003, abstract #P52B-04
Physics
2459 Planetary Ionospheres (5435, 5729, 6026, 6027, 6028), 5407 Atmospheres: Evolution, 5421 Interactions With Particles And Fields, 5440 Magnetic Fields And Magnetism, 6225 Mars
Scientific paper
In the Northern hemisphere, the crustal fields are rather weak and usually do not prevent direct interaction between the Solar Wind (SW) and the Martian ionosphere/atmosphere. Exceptions occur in the isolated mini-magnetospheres formed by the crustal anomalies. Electron density profiles of the ionosphere of Mars derived from radio occultation data obtained by the Radio Science Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) experiment have been compared with the crustal magnetic fields measured by the MGS Magmetometer/Electron Reflectometer (MAG/ER) experiment. A study of 523 electron density profiles obtained at latitudes from +67° to +77° has been conducted. The effective scale-height of the electron density for two altitude ranges, 145-165 km and 165-185 km, and the effective scale-height of the neutral atmosphere density in the vicinity of the ionization peak have been derived for each of the profiles studied. The thermal pressure of the ionospheric plasma at 160 km has been estimated. The solar wind interaction with the ionosphere of Mars and the origin of the sharp drop of the electron density at 200-210 km is discussed. For three SZA intervals, the longitudinal variations of the effective scale-height of the neutral atmosphere density in the vicinity of the ionization peak (135 km) have been analyzed. The longitudinal variations disappear where the solar zenith angles are minimal and where the crustal magnetic field at 140-150 km is approximately vertical. Presumably, the compression of the mini-magnetosphere formed by the isolated crustal anomalies and the "cusps" do not allow the crustal magnetic fields to protect the atmosphere from the precipitating energetic particles.
Acuña Mario Humberto
Bojkov D. I.
Breus Tamara K.
Crider Dana Hurley
Hinson David P.
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