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Altitude Variation of the Plasmapause Signature in the Main Ionospheric Trough

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Altitude Variation of the Plasmapause Signature in the Main Ionospheric Trough https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20110007238 2019-08-30T14:41:56+00:00Z View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by NASA Technical Reports Server journal of Atmospheric and Solar=Terrestrial i rhysi€s 71 {2409) 1669-1676 "" Altitude variation of the plasmapause signature in the main ionospheric trough Joseph M. Grebowsky ", Robert F. Benson", Phillip A. Webb Vladimir Truhlik d, Dieter Bilitza e planetary Mao, aospheres Laboratory, Code 655, Solar System exploration Hixision, oddcrd Spare Flight Center, Greenbeir, MD 2€3771, 10SA 'Geospace Physics Laboratory, 'Ode 67.3, Hebophy^sres Science Division, Goddard Space Flight Center, Qeenbett, A,1D 2tWl, USA CFSTIUMRCP 'Spuce Amther Laborc,ery, Cade 1374, Heliophysics Science 3ieisioa, Goddard Space Ff,,gh. Center, Greenheit, MD 20771 USA ° ins€date of Atmo spheric Physic, Academy of Scence Czech Ropub il.C, llmha, Czech Republic C (:MUI/Hedaspheric Physics L:.boratory, Code 672, Herhoptt_vsic< Science Dik Esion, Goddard .Space Plight Center, Greenbelt, alit? 20771, USA A R T I C L E IN F O A B S T R A C T ____ _ — W w.. -.-_...-. - ------------------------------ _ ...... ... .--------------------------- Article history: The projection of the plastriapause magnetic-field lines to low altitudes, where the light-ion chemistry Accepted 27 May 2009 is dominated by O', tends to occur near the minimum electron density in the main (midlatitude) Ayatla6le online 12 June 2c o9 electron density trough at night. With increasing attitude in the trough, where H' emerges as the Keykvords: dominant iota on the low-latitude boundary, we have found cases where the plasmapause field lines are Plasmapause located on the sharp low-Latitude side of the trough as expected if this topside ionosphere H' Ianosphete distribution varies in step with the plasmapause gradient in the distant plasmasphere. These Mid€atitude conclusions are based on near-equatorial crossings of the plasmapause (corresponding to the steep Trough gradient in the dominant species H') by the Explorer-45 satellite as determined from electric-Field measurements by Maynard and Cauffman in the early 1970s and ISIS-2 ionospheric topside-sounder measurements. The former data have now been converted to digital form and made available at http:ifnssdcftp,gsfcnasa.gov. Tbe latter provide samples of nearly coincident observations of iono- spheric main trough crossings near the same magnetic-field lines of the Explorer 45-determined equatorial plasmapause. The ISIS-2 vertical electron density profiles are used to infer where the F-region transitions from an O' to a H' dominated plan€na through the main trough boundaries. Published by Elsevier Ltd. 1. Induction important to technological systems because of the large impact they have on navigation, communication, and radar observations. High-altitude, outer-plasmaspheric low-energy plasma struc- In order to obtain such an understanding, it is important to tures, especially of the characteristically dominant H' ions, couple characterize the latitude and altitude dependence of large down magnetic-field lines into the ionosphere, and play a role in lnidlatitude ionospheric electron and ion gradients associated midlatitude ionospheric morphology. Conversely, the outer plas- with outer plasmaspheric structures, maspheric structures, consisting of ions produced at low altitudes, Our approach here is to use data from alder satellite missions respond to changes in the ionosphere, Knowledge of the relation- to provide characteristic examples comparing middle latitude ships between the two regions is needed to understand how the topside ionospheric N, and ion-composition profiles to nearly ionosphere impacts the outer plasmasphere and visa versa. coincident magnetospheric E-field determinations of the plasma- Understanding the topside ionospheric structural relationship to pause near the same magnetic-field lines. The topside ionospheric the location of the outer boundary of the plasmasphere, i.e., the vertical electron density profiles Nth), which often correspond to plasmapause, near the equator would provide a tool for applying magnetic-field-aligned profiles at mid-to-high latitudes, are used the more prevalent ionospheric measurements to (1) complement to determine 0',1H- transition heights and to relate ionospheric magnetospheric missions, (2) study the evolution of the plasma- main trough structures at different attitudes and different ion pause, and (3) investigate the ring current dynamics as well as the composition to plasmapause locations measured by magneto- outer radiation belt processes, which depend on the location of spheric satellites, In the topside ionosphere when H' is detectable the plasmapause. Understanding the large-scale electron density as a minor or major ion, it also exhibits trough like structure called ;N,)3 gradients in the middle and low-latitude ionosphere is also the light-ion trough (Taylor, 1972). Since the equatorial plasma- pause is dominated by H', it was expected to be closely coupled to the low-latitude wall of the middle latitude light-ion trough in ' Correspanding author. Tel.: +13012865853: Fax: +13012861177. the ionosphere. In the region of the topside F2 layer, where 0' E-mail address: (j-M. Gsebnwsky). is dominant, the H' distribution is coupled chemically and 13G4-G626fS-see front anatleF PuHshed by Eisexier Ltd. cioi:lLl,t f116J^.jastp.2C7€19.OS.a16 167€1 JIM, Grebowsky et at. I Jaunla! of Atmaspheric and Salar^Terrestrial Phys(ct :'t (20091 1669— IG76 dynamically to 0' Because there are ionospheric plasma of these studies there was a consistent trend for the piasmapause temperature enhancements in the ionosphere on the magnetic- L coordinate to be greater than the trough boundary L coordinate. field lines threading the outer plasmasphere (Brace and Theis, A recent study by Anderson et ai. (2908), comparing DMSP topside 1974; Titheri.dge, 1976), and because the plasma convection H' latitudinal profiles and IMAGE EUV plasmapause images, pattern morphology that controls the F2 layer distribution (e.g., shows the same trend. The separation between the light-ion Knudsen, 1974; Mendillo and Chacko, 1977) also reflects the trough wall and the plasmapause field lines in the early papers dynamics leading to the plasmapause (e.g., Nishida, 1966), the described above was attributed to the refilling (e.g., Titheridge, position of the main N, trough where 0' is dominant would 1976) of outer ptasrtmaspheric flux tubes from below, depleting the be expected to correlate with the plasmapause field lines but the ionospheric H' on these field lines, density gradient on the tow-latitude side of the trough would not The N, trough boundary in the topside ionosphere, based on be expected to directly map along the magnetic field to the in-situ measurements, was found in case studies to be even equatorial plasmapause. further uncorrelated with the magnetic-field lines threading the Hence differences might be expected between the correlation light-ion gradient defining the plasmapause Grebowsky et al., of the low-latitude boundary of the N, trough near the F2 peak 1976). Yizengaw and Moldwin (2005) made a survey of coincident and the N, trough in the topside ionosphere at higher altitudes observations of midlatitude topside ionosphere ,N,(h) profiles, after the transition to an H' dominated plasma. (i.e., to the from a tomographical analysis of global positioning system (GPS' protonosphere). In this regard, it is important to recall the local total electron content (TEC) data, and plasmapause field lines as time variation of the location of troughs in the F-region electron determined fro gs EUV Ile' plasinaspheric images from the IMAGE density distribution where 0'' is the dominant ion. Under sunlit satellite. They found that the plasmapause field line consistently dayside conditions the trough location moves to polar-cap fell within the minimum region of the main N, trough as Mendillo latitudes that are poleward of the ionospheric projection of and Chacko (1977) deduced from an early study of ISIS 2 topside- magnetic-field lines associated with the plasmapause. The sounder ionization altitude profiles. The relationship of the lnldlatitude trough is primarily a nighttime phenomenon (e.g., density gradient at the plasmapause to the ionospheric main see review by Moffett and Quegan, 1983). In the daytime, trough structure, however, is not clear. phatoionization at middle latitudes and magnetic-field-aligned The above studies (with the exception of Mendillo and Chacko, diffusion with time scales of the order of hours dominates the 1977) treated the correlations between the plasmapause and latitudinal distribution of the electron density in the F-region. ionospheric troughs independently of a measure of the low- A close magnetic-field-aligned coupling of the 0 ` dominated altitude composition and its change with attitude. In many of the F-region to the depleted region outside of the plasmapause near case studies, and even in the statistical cases, H' was often a the equatorial plane is not anticipated under such conditions. In minor species and was therefore chemically and dynamically the absence of photoionization at night, however, ionospheric under the control of the ionospheric 0' distribution. The intent of chemistry and horizontal plasma convection compete with the the current paper is to present examples showing how the ion- field-aligned ion dynamics associated with the transition from the composition change with altitude
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