Ionospheric Variability on Earth and Mars

Details Ionospheric Variability on Earth and Mars Ionospheric Variability on Earth and Mars

Dec 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001agufmsa51a0760m&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2001, abstract #SA51A-0760

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2400 Ionosphere

Scientific paper

The day-to-day variability of an ionosphere arises from a complex blend of processes: photo-chemistry, neutral-ion coupling, and electrodynamics. Until recently, the study of ionospheric perturbations has been possible only on Earth where decades of daily observations have been conducted. For the terrestrial case, the variability of F-region peak electron density about a monthly mean is ~ 25% at most local times, seasons and latitudes, and ~ 10% in the E-region. While daily changes in solar photon output and upward coupling from the neutral atmosphere affect both the E- and F-regions, geomagnetic activity induced dynamics is a source of variability confined mostly to the F- region. The radio science experiment onboard Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) has yielded the first set of electron density profiles capable of supporting studies of day-to-day variability of an ionosphere on another planet. For the peak electron density, the MGS variability patterns suggest ~10% for samples in December 1998 and March 1999 at early morning hours at high latitudes. At the altitude of the peak electron density at Mars, photo-chemical equilibrium is the dominant process and thus the observed variability should be consistent with an E-region-like terrestrial ionosphere. Under comparable conditions of solar zenith angle and latitude on Earth, ionosonde records show an E-region variability of ~10% for the same days as sampled on Mars. A simple E-region model has been developed to explore the causes of variability seen simultaneously on Earth and Mars.

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