• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.34-34
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• 2003

To better understand how high-latitude electric fields influence thermospheric dynamics, we study winds in the high-latitude lower thermosphere using the Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Electrodynamics General Circulation Model of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR/TIEGCM). In order to compare with Wind Imaging Interferometer (WINDII) observations the model is run for the conditions of 1992-1993 southern summer. The association of the model results with the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is also examined to determine the influences of the IMF-dependent ionospheric convection on the winds. The wind patterns show good agreement with the WINDII observations, although the model wind speeds are generally weaker than the observations. It is confirmed that the influences of high-latitude ionospheric convection on summertime thermospheric winds are seen down to 105 km. For negative and positive IMF By the difference winds, with respect to the wind during null IMF conditions, show significantly strong anticyclonic and cyclonic vortices, respectively, down to 105 km. For positive IMF Bz the difference winds are largely confined to the polar cap, while for negative IMF Bz they extend to subauroral latitudes. The IMF Bz-dependent diurnal wind component is strongly correlated with the corresponding component of ionospheric convection velocity down to 108 km and is largely rotational. The influence of IMF By on the lower thermospheric summertime zonal-mean zonal wind is substantial at high latitudes, with maximum wind speeds being 60 m/s at 130 km around 77 magnetic latitude.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.11-28
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• 2004

To better understand how high-latitude electric fields influence thermospheric dynamics, winds in the high-latitude lower thermosphere are studied by using the Thermosphere-ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model developed by the National Conte. for Atmospheric Research (NCAR-TIEGCM). The model is run for the conditions of 1992-1993 southern summer. The association of the model results with the interplanetary magnetic field(IMF) is also examined to determine the influences of the IMF-dependent ionospheric convection on the winds. The wind patterns show good agreement with the WINDII observations, although the model wind speeds are generally weaker than the observations. It is confirmed that the influences of high-latitude ionospheric convection on summertime thermospheric winds are seen down to 105 km. The difference wind, the difference between the winds for IMF$\neq$O and IMF=0, during negative IMF $B_y$ shows a strong anticyclonic vortex while during positive IMF $B_y$ a strong cyclonic vortex down to 105 km. For positive IMF $B_z$ the difference winds are largely confined to the polar cap, while for negative IMF B, they extend down to subauroral latitudes. The IMF $B_z$ -dependent diurnal wind component is strongly correlated with the corresponding component of ionospheric convection velocity down to 108 km and is largely rotational. The influence of IMF by on the lower thermospheric summertime zonal-mean zonal wind is substantial at high latitudes, with maximum wind speeds being $60\;ms^-1$ at 130 km around $77^{\circ}$ magnetic latitude.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.129-138
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• 2008

This study attempts to show how the geomagnetic indices, AU, AL and Dst, respond to the interplanetary parameters, more specifically, the solar wind electric field VBz during southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) period. The AU index does not seem to respond linearly to the variation of southward IMF. Only a noticeable correlation between the AU and VBz is shown during summer, when the ionospheric conductivity associated with the solar EUV radiation is high. It is highly likely that the effect of electric field on the eastward electrojet intensification is only noticeable whenever the ionospheric conductivity is significantly enhanced during summer. Thus, one should be very cautious in employing the AU as a convection index during other seasons. The AL index shows a significantly high correlation with VBz regardless of season. Considering that the auroral electrojet is the combined result of electric field and ionospheric conductivity, the intensification of these two quantities seems to occur concurrently during southward IMF period. This suggests that the AL index behaves more like a convection index rather than a substorm index as far as hourly mean AL index is concerned. Contrary to the AU index, the AL index does not register the maximum value during summer for a given level of VBz. It has something to do with the findings that discrete auroras are suppressed in sunlight hemisphere (Newell et al. 1996), thus reducing the ionospheric conductivity during summer. As expected, the Dst index tends to become more negative as VBz gets intensified. However, the Dst index (nT) is less than or equal to 15VBz(mV/m) + 50(Bz < 0). It indicates that VBz determines the lower limit of the storm size, while another factor(s), possibly substorm, seems to get further involved in intensifying storms. Although it has not been examined in this study, the duration of southward IMF would also be a factor to be considered in determining the size of a storm.

• Bulletin of the Korean Space Science Society
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• 2011.04a
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• pp.26.3-27
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• 2011

Formation of a steep plasma density gradient in the middle-latitude ionosphere during geomagnetic storms and the latitudinal migration of its location depending on the storm phase are suggested to be associated with the ionospheric signature of the plasmapause. We test this idea by using the satellite and ground observation data during the 11 April 2001 storm. The locations of the steep plasma density gradient identified by TOPEX/Poseidon (2001 LT) and DMSP (1800 and 2130 LT) satellites coincide with the ionospheric footprints of the plasmapause identified by the IMAGE satellite. This observation may support the dependence of the middle-latitude plasma density gradient location on the plasmapause motion, but does not explain why the steep density gradient whose morphology is largely different from the morphology of the middle-latitude ionization trough during quiet period is formed in association with the plasmapause. The ionospheric disturbances in the total electron content (TEC) maps shows that the steep TEC gradient is formed at the boundary of the positive ionospheric storm in low-middle latitudes and the negative ionospheric storm in middle-high latitudes. We interpret that the thermospheric neutral composition disturbance in the dayside is confined within the middle-high latitude ionospheric convection zone. The neutral composition latitudes and, therefore, the locations of the steep plasma density gradient coincide with the footprints of the plasmapause. The TEC maps show that the appearance of the steep plasma density gradient in the pre-midnight sector during the recovery phase is related to the co-rotation of the gradient that is created during the main phase.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.141-150
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• 2002

The ionosphere plays an important role in the electrodynamics of space environment. In particular, the information on the ionospheric conductivity distribution is indispensable in understanding the electrodynamics of the magnetosphere and ionosphere coupling study. To meet such a requirement, several attempts have been made to estimate the conductivity distribution over the polar ionosphere. As one of such attempts we compare the ionospheric plasma convection patterns obtained from the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN), from which the electric field distribution is estimated, and the simultaneously measured ground magnetic disturbance. Specifically, the electric field measured from the Goose Bay and Stokkseyri radars and magnetic disturbance data obtained from the west coast chain of Greenland are compared. In order to estimate ionospheric conductivity distribution with these information, the overhead infinite sheet current approximation is employed. As expected, the Hall conductance, height-integrated conductivity, shows a wide enhancement along the center of the auroral electrojet. However, Pedersen conductance shows negative values over a wide portion of the auroral oval region, a physically unacceptable situation. To alleviate this problem, the effect of the field-aligned current is taken into account. As a result, the region with negative Pedersen conductance disappears significantly, suggesting that the effect of the field-aligned current should be taken into account, when one wants to estimate ionospheric conductance based on ground magnetic disturbance and electric field measurements by radars.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.329-335
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• 2010

We investigate the sources of the variation of the high-latitude thermospheric neutral mass density depending on the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) conditions. For this purpose, we have carried out the National Center for Atmospheric Research Thermosphere-Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (NCAR-TIEGCM) simulations for various IMF conditions under summer condition in the southern hemisphere. The NCAR-TIEGCM is combined with a new empirical model that provides a forcing to the thermosphere in high latitudes. The difference of the high-latitude thermospheric neutral mass density (subtraction of the values for zero IMF condition from the values for non-zero IMF conditions) shows a dependence on the IMF condition: For negative $B_y$ condition, there are significantly enhanced difference densities in the dusk sector and around midnight. Under the positive-$B_y$ condition, there is a decrease in the early morning hours including the dawn side poleward of $-70^{\circ}$. For negative $B_z$, the difference of the thermospheric densities shows a strong enhancement in the cusp region and around midnight, but decreases in the dawn sector. In the dusk sector, those values are relatively larger than those in the dawn sector. The density difference under positive-$B_z$ condition shows decreases generally. The density difference is more significant under negative-$B_z$ condition than under positive-$B_z$ condition. The dependence of the density difference on the IMF conditions in high latitudes, especially, in the dawn and dusk sectors can be explained by the effect of thermospheric winds that are associated with the ionospheric convection and vary following the direction of the IMF. In auroral and cusp regions, heating of thermosphere by ionospheric currents and/or auroral particle precipitation can be also the source of the dependence of the density difference on the IMF conditions.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.216-233
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• 1995

The distributions of the ionospheric conductivities, electric potential, ionospheric currents, field-aligned currents, Joule heating rate, and particle energy input rate by auroral electrons along with the characteristics of auroral particle spectrum are examined during moderately disturbed period by using the computer code developed by Kamide et al. (1981) and the ionospheric conductivity model developed by Ahn et al. (1995). Since the ground magnetic disturbance data are obtained from a single meridian chain of magnetometers (Alaska meridian chain) for an extended period of time (March 9 - April 27, 1978), they are expected to present the average picture of the electrodynamics over the entire polar ionosphere. A number of global features noted in this study are as follows: (1) The electric potential distribution is characterized by the so-called two cell convection pattern with the positive potential cell in the morning sector extending into the evening sector. (2) The auroral electrojet system is well developed during this time period with the signatures of DP-1 and DP-2 current systems being clearly discernable. It is also noted that the electric field seems to play a more important role than the ionospheric conductivity the conductivity over the poleward half of the westward electrojet in the morning sector while the conductivity enhancement seems to be more important over its equatorward half. (3) The global field-aligned current distribution pattern is quite comparable with the statistical result obtained by Iijima and Potemra (1976). However, the current density of Region 1 is much higher than that of Region 2 current at pointed out by pervious studies (e.g.; Kamide 1988). (4) The Joule heating occurs over a couple of island-like areas, one along the poleward side of the westward electrojet region in the afternoon sector. (5) The maximum average energy of precipitating electrons is found to be in the morning sector (07∼08 MLT) while the maximum energy flux is registered in the postmidnight sector (02 MLT). Thus auroral brightening and enhancement of ionospheric conductivity during disturbed period seem to be more closely associated with enhancement of particle flux rather than hardening of particle energy.