Collaborative Research: CEDAR--Quantifying the Impact of Radiation Belt Electron Precipitation on Atmospheric Reactive Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Ozone (O3)

这项工作将研究磁层中的某些高能粒子如何影响和改变接近地球表面的大气区域的成分。更好地了解地球大气不同区域之间的联系将提高我们的预测能力，以保护卫星和其他技术资产免受太阳和磁层风暴的影响。这笔拨款还将发展跨地球科学（磁层、电离层、高能粒子、高层和中层大气）的跨学科合作。该研究将量化范艾伦辐射带的高能电子沉降对中间层和平流层中活性氮氧化物（NOx）产生的贡献及其对臭氧（O3）的影响。来自“火鸟”（聚焦研究相对论电子爆发强度、范围和动力学）卫星和范艾伦探测器的观测结果将用于产生粒子光谱和电子通量的全球图，这些图将用于驱动WACCM-DART模型，该模型实现了一个新的d区化学方案来计算NOx。通过在WACCM-DART中添加这种新的源，即来自辐射带的电子通量，可以解决模型模拟中NOx的缺陷。一旦模型能够得到验证并与观测结果进行比较，辐射带REP对中间层和平流层中NOx以及平流层中O3的影响将被量化。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This work will study how certain energetic particles in the magnetosphere affect and change of the composition of the region of the atmosphere closer to the surface of Earth. Improved understanding of how different regions of Earth's atmosphere are linked will enhance our predictive capabilities to protect satellites and other technological assets from the effects of solar and magnetospheric storms. This grant will also develop interdisciplinary collaborations across geoscience (magnetosphere, ionosphere, energetic particles, upper and middle atmosphere).The research will quantify the contribution of energetic electron precipitation from the Van Allen radiation belts to the production of reactive nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the mesosphere and stratosphere and its resultant impact on ozone (O3). Observations from the FIREBIRD (Focused Investigations of Relativistic Electron Burst Intensity, Range, and Dynamics) satellites and Van Allen Probes will be used to produce the particle spectra and the global maps of electron flux that will be used to drive the WACCM-DART model which implements a new D-region chemical scheme to calculate NOx. By adding this new source, i.e., electron flux from the radiation belts, to the WACCM-DART, the deficits of the NOx in the model simulation are expected to be tackled. Once the model can be validated and favorably compare with observations, the impacts of the radiation belt REP on the NOx in the mesosphere and stratosphere, and the O3 in the stratosphere will be quantified.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.