HR: 14:00h
AN: SM52C-02 INVITED     [PDF]
TI: Studying the connection between the ionosphere and plasmasphere using GPS observations
AU: * Mannucci, A J
EM: Tony.Mannucci@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Hajj, G A
EM: George.A.Hajj@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Harris, I L
EM: Ian.L.Harris@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Iijima, B A
EM: Byron.A.Iijima@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Pi, X
EM: Xiaoqing.Pi@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Tsurutani, B T
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Wilson, B D
EM: Brian.D.Wilson@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Zhang, L D
EM: L.D.Zhang@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 United States
AU: Moldwin, M
EM: mmoldwin@ucla.edu
AF: UCLA, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, 3845 Slichter Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095 United States
AU: Gonzalez, W D
EM: gonzalez@dge.inpe.br
AF: INPE, Av. dos Astronautas, 1758 - Jardim de Granja, Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP 12227 Brazil
AB: Studying plasmaspheric dynamics during and after magnetic storms provides information on how the plasmasphere responds to and influences storm evolution, and provides insight into magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. Understanding the source and loss processes of ring current and radiation belt particles requires a dynamic picture of the plasmaspheric mass density, which modifies those populations by particle-particle and indirectly by wave-particle interactions. Studies using plasmaspheric measurements from the IMAGE satellite and ionospheric total electron content measurements from ground-based GPS receivers have demonstrated a striking correlation between stormtime density enhancements in the ionosphere and plasmaspheric drainage plume structure caused by enhanced magnetospheric convection. We describe how the continuous dual-frequency L-band transmissions from 27 Global Positioning Satellites (1.2 and 1.5 GHz), orbiting at about 4 Earth radii, are important observational tools for studying the plasmasphere and ionosphere as a coupled system. Total electron content measurements from ground-based GPS receiver networks are complementary to measurements obtained from zenith-viewing GPS receivers in low-Earth orbit, currently available from a variety of altitudes both within and above the ionosphere. We will report on observed trends such as the plasmaspheric content versus latitude, how this evolves over several hours during a magnetic storm, apparent refilling of the plasmasphere after a storm, and how the plasmasphere structure correlates with ground and space-based GPS measurements of the ionosphere. Since GPS measurements of the plasmasphere are fairly new, we will discuss the measurement system itself, limitations and possible new directions.
DE: 0994 Instruments and techniques
DE: 2431 Ionosphere/magnetosphere interactions (2736)
DE: 2730 Magnetosphere--inner
DE: 2768 Plasmasphere
SC: SPA - Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting