HR: 1330h
AN: SA22A-0105    [PDF]
TI: Transonic Heating Effects in the Auroral Thermosphere
AU: * Balthazor, R L
EM: r.balthazor@shef.ac.uk
AF: Space and Atmosphere Research Group, University of Sheffield Hicks Building Hounsfield Road, Sheffield, n/a S3 7RH United Kingdom
AU: Wilford, C
EM: c.wilford@shef.ac.uk
AF: Space and Atmosphere Research Group, University of Sheffield Hicks Building Hounsfield Road, Sheffield, n/a S3 7RH United Kingdom
AU: Thom, S
EM: s.thom@shef.ac.uk
AF: Space and Atmosphere Research Group, University of Sheffield Hicks Building Hounsfield Road, Sheffield, n/a S3 7RH United Kingdom
AU: Denton, M H
EM: mhdenton@lanl.gov
AF: Space and Atmospheric Sciences, Los Alamos National Laboratory PO Box 1663 MS D466, Los Alamos, NM 87545 United States
AU: Pryse, E
EM: sep@aber.ac.uk
AF: Radio and Space Physics Group, Department of Physics University of Wales, Aberystwyth, n/a SY23 3BZ United Kingdom
AB: We review substantial recent developments to the CTIP coupled thermosphere-ionosphere-plasmasphere model, using observations from the Aberystwyth ionospheric tomographic imaging chain and the IMAGE satellite to benchmark and validate the model results. Thermospheric heating in auroral regions has classically been viewed as a combination of Joule Heating (macroscopic frictional heating from the ionosphere), Lorentz forcing (microscopic momentum transfer from ions) and particle precipitation. Of these, it has been shown that above about 110 km, Joule Heating is the dominant energy transfer mechanism. However, ion velocities during disturbed times often approach or exceed the neutral sound speed. We investigate shock front heating through modelling using the improved CTIP model and compare these with in-situ satellite observation. We conclude that shock heating may be a significant contribution to the auroral thermosphere-ionosphere energy balance.
DE: 2431 Ionosphere/magnetosphere interactions (2736)
DE: 2447 Modeling and forecasting
DE: 2481 Topside ionosphere
DE: 2704 Auroral phenomena (2407)
SC: SPA - Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting