HR: 1340h
AN: SM43B-1231    [Abstracts]
TI: Spatial and Temporal Variations in the Ionosphere Associated With Coupling to the Magnetosphere: Investigations Enabled by NPOESS.
AU: Coley, W R
EM: coley@utdallas.edu
AF: Universty of Texas at Dallas, MS FO22 PO Box 830688, Richardson, TX 75083-0688 United States
AU: * Heelis, R A
EM: heelis@utdallas.edu
AF: Universty of Texas at Dallas, MS FO22 PO Box 830688, Richardson, TX 75083-0688 United States
AU: Power, R A
EM: power@utdallas.edu
AF: Universty of Texas at Dallas, MS FO22 PO Box 830688, Richardson, TX 75083-0688 United States
AB: The NPOESS will provide polar orbiting satellites in sun-synchronous orbits that operate continuously. Thus they provide information about longitude variations at all altitudes every day. When longitude variations are established, the temporal evolution of large-scale features can be examined with a resolution equal to the orbit period. Continuous operation also allows variations with solar rotation, solar cycle and season to be established. There remain many unanswered questions about spatial and temporal variations in the topside ionosphere produced by ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling. Here we use data from the present DMSP satellites to describe storm time variations in ionospheric composition, temperature and velocity from the pole to the equator. These data clearly set forth the challenges for future investigations. We expect data from NPOESS taken while studies of magnetospheric dynamics and the interplanetary medium are also taking place will allow a more rigorous understanding of magnetosphere ionosphere coupling and the incorporation of this understanding into computational models.
DE: 2431 Ionosphere/magnetosphere interactions (2736)
DE: 2437 Ionospheric dynamics
DE: 2467 Plasma temperature and density
SC: SPA-Magnetospheric Physics [SM]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005