HR: 0800h
AN: SA31A-0362    [Abstracts]
TI: Estimation of the High-Latitude Topside Heat Flux Using DMSP In Situ Plasma Densities
AU: * Bekerat, H
EM: hamed@gaim.cass.usu.edu
AF: Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences, Utah State University, 4405 OLD MAIN HILL SER 246, Logan, UT 84321
AU: schunk, R
EM: schunk@cc.usu.edu
AF: Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences, Utah State University, 4405 OLD MAIN HILL SER 246, Logan, UT 84321
AU: scherliess, L
EM: ludger@gaim.cass.usu.edu
AF: Center for Atmospheric and Space Sciences, Utah State University, 4405 OLD MAIN HILL SER 246, Logan, UT 84321
AB: The high-latitude ionosphere interfaces with the hot, tenuous, magnetospheric plasma, and a heat flow into the ionosphere is expected, which has a large impact on the plasma densities and temperatures in the high-latitude ionosphere. The value of this magnetospheric heat flux is unknown. In an effort to estimate the value of the magnetospheric heat flux into the ionosphere and, and show its effect on the high-latitude plasma densities, we ran an ensemble of model runs using the Ionosphere Forecast Model (IFM) with different values of the heat flux through the upper boundary. These model runs included both auroral and solar heating. For each heat flux value, the plasma densities obtained from the model run at 840 Km were compared to the corresponding values measured by the DMSP F13 satellite. The heat flux value that gave the best compariosn between the measured and calculated plasma densities is considered to be the best estimated to the topside heat flux. The comparison was conducted for a one-year data set of the DMSP F13 measured plasma densities. In this paper, we show the effect of the topside heat flux on the plasma densities, and show realistic estimates for the topside heat flux values through the upper boundary of the high-latitude ionosphere.
DE: 2431 Ionosphere/magnetosphere interactions (2736)
DE: 2437 Ionospheric dynamics
DE: 2455 Particle precipitation
DE: 2463 Plasma convection (2760)
DE: 2481 Topside ionosphere
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005