Self-consistent modeling of the day-time electron density profile in the ionospheric F-region, Ann
Abstract. A theoretical self-consistent method for the description of Ne…h † daytime profiles in the ionospheric F region measured by EISCAT is proposed. It is based on the use of a theoretical F-region model and measured electron density, Ne…h†, electron, Te…h†, and ion temperature, Ti…h†, and fiel...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
1997
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.371.7060 http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/docs/00/31/62/08/PDF/angeo-15-314-1997.pdf |
| Summary: | Abstract. A theoretical self-consistent method for the description of Ne…h † daytime profiles in the ionospheric F region measured by EISCAT is proposed. It is based on the use of a theoretical F-region model and measured electron density, Ne…h†, electron, Te…h†, and ion temperature, Ti…h†, and field-aligned plasma Vl…h † drift profiles. The method describes the Ne…h† observed profile with high accuracy for quiet and disturbed conditions. Two versions of the method are considered: in the first the exospheric temperature Tex is derived from a procedure minimizing ‰log…Ne…h† obs =Ne…h † cal †Š 2, in the second Tex is deduced from the ion energy conservation in the F region. The method allows us to infer from the incoherent-scatter observations: concentrations of atomic oxygen, [O], molecular oxygen, ‰O2Š, molecular nitrogen, ‰N2Š, the vertical plasma drift, W, the exospheric temperature. Tex, and the shape parameter S in the neutral temperature profile. The ratio …‰O ‡ calculated by the theoretical model is used to Š=Ne† Te…h†; Ti…h † correct Ne…h † and profiles routinely measured with EISCAT which are known to depend strongly on the actual applied ion-composition model. Such a correction is especially important for geomagnetically disturbed periods when the F region is strongly enriched with molecular ions. We conclude that four of the six thermospheric parameters, ‰OŠ; namely ‰N2Š, W and Tex can be confidently inferred from the EISCAT observations, while the other two derived ‰O2Š parameters, and S are less reliable. The method can be used for the analysis of long-term (seasonal, solar cycle) as well as for day-today variations of the thermospheric parameters and the F-region ion composition using daytime incoherentscatter observations. |
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