HR: 0830h
AN: SM41B-0576    [PDF]
TI: The global patterns of Joule heating in the high-latitude ionosphere
AU: * Zhang, X
EM: zhangx@cspar.uah.edu
AF: Physics Department, Alabama A & M University, Normal, AL 35762 United States
AU: Tan, A
EM: atan@aamu.edu
AF: Physics Department, Alabama A & M University, Normal, AL 35762 United States
AU: Germany, G
EM: germanyg@cspar.uah.edu
AF: Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomy Research, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899 United States
AU: Wu, S
EM: wus@cspar.uah.edu
AF: Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomy Research, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899 United States
AB: Joule heating in the high-latitude ionosphere and upper atmosphere, which depends on geomagnetic activities and the solar activities, is an important factor for several critical problem areas in the space weather, among them satellite drag, changing satellite position and lifetime. The statistical global patterns of the hemispheric Joule heating are being studied over a complete solar cycle, based on Weimer electric field model and height-integrated conductance model. These statistical patterns are used to study the dependence of the hemispheric Joule heating on the levels of geomagnetic activity and the phase of solar cycle. This investigation also provides the opportunity to identify periods of variations in the upper atmospheric temperature and neutral density. The preliminary results of this study are presented.
DE: 2704 Auroral phenomena (2407)
DE: 2712 Electric fields (2411)
DE: 2736 Magnetosphere/ionosphere interactions
DE: 2784 Solar wind/magnetosphere interactions
SC: SPA - Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting