HR: 0800h
AN: SA31A-0334    [Abstracts]
TI: Empirical Model of High-Latitude Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Energy Transfer Based on Dynamic Explorer-2 Data
AU: * Maute, A
EM: maute@ucar.edu
AF: HAO / NCAR, 3080 Center Green Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 United States
AU: Richmond, A D
EM: richmond@ucar.edu
AF: HAO / NCAR, 3080 Center Green Drive, Boulder, CO 80301 United States
AU: France, J
EM: fraja@rhodes.edu
AF: Rhodes College, 2000 N. Parkway, Memphis, TN 38112 United States
AU: St-Jean Leblanc, C
EM: cedric.st-jean-leblanc@umontreal.ca
AF: Université de Montréal, PO Box 6128, Station Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7 Canada
AB: Electric current flowing through the high-latitude upper atmosphere produces a significant amount of Joule heating. Models of the upper atmosphere require accurate information about how this heating varies with latitude, longitude, altitude, and time under different solar-wind conditions. Detailed statistical analysis of satellite and ground-based measurements of the ionosphere and its electric fields, currents, and auroral particles can provide this information. We are analyzing measurements from the Dynamic Explorer-2 satellite mission to quantify the magnetosphere-ionosphere energy transfer. The dependence of high latitude energy input on the magnitude and orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field, as well as on season, latitude, and magnetic local time is examined. A simplified empirical model will be developed by fitting the data to the different parameters. This simplified model of the high latitude energy transfer will be implemented into a general circulation model of the upper atmosphere, and the effects will be studied.
DE: 2407 Auroral ionosphere (2704)
DE: 2411 Electric fields (2712)
DE: 2431 Ionosphere/magnetosphere interactions (2736)
DE: 2447 Modeling and forecasting
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005