D-REGION REFLECTION HEIGHT MODIFICATION BY WHISTLER-INDUCED ELECTRON PRECIPITATION (WEP)

• Main Authors: Craig J. Rodger, Mark A. Clilverd, Richard L. Dowden
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.490.3732; http://www.ursi.org/Proceedings/ProcGA02/papers/p0481.pdf

Ionospheric modifications are caused by whistler-induced electron precipitation (WEP) from the Van Allen radiation belts into the lower ionosphere. We examine the electron density profile expected for lower ionospheric changes due to a single 0.2s whistler-induced electron precipitation burst with experimentally determined properties. We go on to consider the cumulative response of the nighttime D-region to a sustained series of WEP bursts observed through experimentally observed VLF perturbation activity on one night in the Antarctic. The additional WEP produced ionization leads to increases in the high altitude (>70km) electron densities, until a new equilibrium level is reached.