HR: 15:15h
AN: SA23B-06    [Abstracts]
TI: The Response of the Thermosphere and Ionosphere to Magnetospheric Inputs as Determined from LEO UV Remote Sensing Measurements - Model/Data Comparisons
AU: * Paxton, L J
EM: larry.paxton@jhuapl.edu
AF: JHU/APL, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723, United States
AU: Zhang, Y
EM: yongliang.zhang@jhuapl.edu
AF: JHU/APL, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723, United States
AU: Ridley, A
EM: aaron.ridley@umich.edu
AF: University of Michigan, Space Physics Research Laboratory Room 1414 Space Research Bldg. 2455 Hayward Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2143, United States
AU: Christensen, A
EM: andy.christensen@aero.org
AF: Aerospace Corporation, Aerospace Corp POB 92957 MS254, Los Angeles, CA 90009, United States
AU: DeMajistre, R
EM: Robert.Demajistre@jhuapl.edu
AF: JHU/APL, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723, United States
AU: Schaefer, R
EM: robert.schaefer@jhuapl.edu
AF: JHU/APL, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723, United States
AU: Morrison, D
EM: daniel.morrison@jhuapl.edu
AF: JHU/APL, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd, Laurel, MD 20723, United States
AB: UV remote sensing from low Earth orbit provides the opportunity to investigate the response of the coupled ionosphere/thermosphere system to magnetospheric inputs. Low Earth orbit (LEO) is particularly advantageous because a simple, low-cost, low-mass instrument such as GUVI can make limb and disk measurements that characterize the ionosphere and thermosphere. In this paper we will show the results of some of the comparisons we have carried out between the GITM model driven by typical AMIE inputs and when the UV data are included. The UV data are used to provide the hemispheric power due to particle precipitation based on the Zhang and Paxton [2007] model of the auroral energy distribution. The UV data are also used to provide global scale maps of the conductances. These real measurements show important departures from the conductance pattern inferred from AMIE. We also find that the model output can, indeed, be meaningfully challenged by the UV data. The UV data embodies information on the O. N2, O2 and electron density profiles on a global basis as well as the lower thermospheric O/N2 data. Note that the column O/N2 ratio observed by instruments like GUVI provides a unique insight into the thermospheric composition at about 135 km. We will discuss these differences for superstorms as well as moderate and quiet conditions because we find that there are significant differences between the models, climatologies such as MSIS and the data.
DE: 0355 Thermosphere: composition and chemistry
DE: 0358 Thermosphere: energy deposition (3369)
DE: 2431 Ionosphere/magnetosphere interactions (2736)
DE: 2437 Ionospheric dynamics
SC: SPA-Aeronomy [SA]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting