Identification

Title

Sources of low-latitude ionospheric E x B drifts and their variability

Abstract

The complete mechanism of how upward propagating tropospheric tides connect to the upper atmosphere is not yet fully understood. One proposed mechanism is via ionospheric wind dynamo. However, other sources can potentially alter the vertical E × B drift: gravity and plasma pressure gradient driven current, the geomagnetic main field, and longitudinal variation in the conductivities. In this study we examine the contribution to the vertical drift from these sources, and compare them. We use March equinox results from the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model. We found that the gravity and plasma pressure gradient driven current and the longitudinal variation of the conductivities excluding the variation due to the geomagnetic main field do not change the longitudinal variation of the vertical drift significantly. Modifying the geomagnetic main field will change the vertical drift at 5-6 LT, 18-19 LT and 23-24 LT at almost all longitudes. In general the influence of the geomagnetic main field on the vertical drift is larger, with respect to the maximum difference, at 18-19 LT and 23-24 LT, equal at 5-6 LT, and smaller at 14-15 LT than the influence due to nonmigrating tidal components in the neutral winds. Examination of the contribution from E- and F-region neutral winds to the vertical drift shows that their importance depends on the local time and the solar activity. This implies that the vertical drift has to be analyzed at specific local times to examine the relation between the wave number in the vertical drift and in the neutral winds.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7vq339j

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2012-06-14T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact