Joule Heating Investigations Using the Sondrestrom Radar and DMSP Satellites

• Main Authors: Watermann, Jurgen, de la Beaujardiere, Odile
• Other Authors: SRI INTERNATIONAL MENLO PARK CA
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1990
• Subjects: Atmospheric Physics; Meteorology; Active & Passive Radar Detection & Equipment; Plasma Physics and Magnetohydrodynamics; *RADAR; *IONOSPHERE; *INCOHERENT SCATTERING; *METEOROLOGICAL SATELLITES; DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE; SPACECRAFT; COMPUTATIONS; CONDUCTIVITY; DYNAMICS; PARAMETERS; STRUCTURES; ELECTRIC FIELDS; ESTIMATES; HEATING; ERRORS; DAY; DIFFUSION; AURORAE; AMBIGUITY; SUMMER; STABILITY; MEASUREMENT; SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION; GREENLAND; SOURCES; PE61102F; WUGL2311G5BC; LPN-SRI-3083; Greenland; Pedersen; Sondre Stromfjord
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA227425; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA227425

The objective of our study was to cross-validate Joule heating rates derived from Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F7 observations through comparison with incoherent scatter radar measurements from Sondre Stromfjord, Greenland, In spite of obvious difficulties encountered within localized and dynamic structures such as discrete auroral arcs, where electric field and Pederson current estimates did not match, good agreement was found within relatively stable structures like the poleward edge of the diffuse aurora. Unrelated to spatial and temporal ambiguity problems, a systematic discrepancy in a summer daytime Pedersen conductance calculations from spacecraft and radar data was found. Although the conditions for comparison were generally not optimal because the temporal and spatial coincidences between spacecraft and radar measurements were not perfect, 50% of the cases examined were in good agreement. Possible error source for the remaining cases of disagreement are identified and explanations for the disagreement are offered. The necessity of further efforts to cross validate measurements of ionospheric parameters is emphasized and ways for improvements of the comparison method are suggested.