Collaborative Research: GEM: The Ionospheric Source of Magnetospheric Plasma-- Measuring, Modeling and Merging into the GEM Geospace General Circulation Model (GGCM)

该项目将把整个磁层-电离层系统的电离层离子观测与电离层外流的广义极风（GPW）模型和模拟磁层的磁流体动力学代码结合起来。GPW是一种宏观的细胞内粒子（mac-PIC）代码。它将使用一个称为空间天气建模框架的系统与块自适应树太阳风roe型逆风方案（BATS-R-US） MHD模型耦合。这些代码将用于执行一组模拟，代表陆地季节、太阳通量水平和磁层活动水平的组合。耦合模型的结果将与不耦合的结果进行比较，以阐明电离层等离子体在磁层动力学中的作用。为了验证和完善模拟结果，将利用历史数据集构建电离层和磁层内外流等离子体的气候观测集。气候模式将根据季节、地磁活动和地点进行分类。将进行事件模拟，并与气候数据进行比较，以研究瞬态动力学。这个项目将促进我们对地球电离层环境在充满等离子体的磁层空间环境中的作用的理解。在气候学和事件研究水平上的数据模式比较将提高电离层流出模式和地球空间环流模式的准确性。电离层外流模型与磁层MHD模型的耦合将为我们预测磁层动力学的能力增加一个基本的重要因素。

This project will combine observations of ionospheric ions throughout the magnetosphere-ionosphere system with the Generalized Polar Wind (GPW) model of ionospheric outflows and a magnetohydrodynamic code for simulating the magnetosphere. The GPW is a macroscopic Particle-In-Cell (mac-PIC) code. It will be coupled to the Block Adaptive Tree Solar wind Roe-type Upwind Scheme (BATS-R-US) MHD model using a system called the Space Weather Modeling Framework. The codes will be used to perform a set of simulations, representing a combination of terrestrial season, level of solar flux, and level of magnetospheric activity. The results from the coupled models will be compared to uncoupled results to illuminate the role of the ionospheric plasma in magnetospheric dynamics. To validate and refine the simulation results, a climatological observation set of outflowing plasma both in the ionosphere and within the magnetosphere will be constructed from historical data sets. The climatological model will be binned by season, magnetic activity, and location. Event simulations will be performed and compared with the climatological data to investigate transient dynamics. This project will advance our understanding of the role of the Earth's ionospheric environment in filling its magnetospheric space environment with plasma. The data-model comparisons, both on a climatological and event-study level, will advance the accuracy of ionospheric outflow models and Geospace General Circulation Models. The coupling of an ionospheric outflow model to an MHD model of the magnetosphere will add a fundamentally important element to our ability to forecast the dynamics of the magnetosphere.