Studying and Modeling the Solar Cycle Variations of Topside Electron Temperature and Ion Composition

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The investigators will establish an international research collaboration to assemble a data record of electron temperatures and ion composition in the topside ionosphere covering three solar. They will use this database to develop an improved specification of solar cycle variations of these parameters for the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI). IRI is a widely used international standard for ionospheric parameters. The researchers will combine in situ measurements from US, Czech/Russian and Japanese satellites and thus establish a database that covers the time period 1964 to 1993. The final data sets as well as models will be made publicly available from NASA's National Space Science Data Center. The topside electron temperature and the upper transition height are important parameters for the understanding of the flux of particles and energy in the critical transition region between ionosphere and plasmasphere/magnetosphere. An accurate specification of the electron temperature and ion composition will benefit the many applications of IRI in science, engineering, and education, and will provide the basis for more accurate predictions and forecast of space weather conditions in the topside ionosphere. It will establish an empirical baseline against which output from theoretical models can be compared and against which disturbed behavior can be scaled and identified. This activity will establish a collaborative science project between institutions in the US, the Czech Republic, and Japan. The activity will involve participation of graduate students and summer students at the three research locations. The result of the proposed study will be a publicly available ionospheric database and model. The data and model will be a valuable resource for classroom activities and course work. IRI is already a widely used tool for educational purposes.