M-I Coupling: Quantifying High Latitude Electric Field and Conductance Variability

研究人员将研究高纬度电离层的电场和电导变化。这项研究将使用电离层电动力学同化测绘（AMIE）模型对大量可获得各种地基和天基测量的间隔进行。该研究解决了三个科学问题：(1)电离层电场结构的时空尺度是什么？(2)电离层电导结构的时空尺度是什么？(3)结构电场和电导如何影响全局焦耳加热？AMIE模型的电场和电导率的变化将被总结为磁纬度、磁地方时和地磁活动的函数。该分析将为具有较粗时空尺度的模式中被忽略的变率量提供指导。它还为在基于物理的模式能够完全捕获变率及其影响之前需要了解的地球物理过程提供指导。最终目标是更好地理解地磁扰动条件下热层、电离层和磁层之间的耦合。

The investigators will study electric field and conductance variability in the high latitude ionosphere. The study will be conducted using the Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics (AMIE) model for a large number of intervals for which a variety of ground-based and space-based measurements are available. The study addresses three scientific questions: (1) What are the spatial and temporal scales of structures in the electric field in the ionosphere? (2) What are the spatial and temporal scales of structures in the ionospheric conductance? (3) How do the structured electric field and conductance affect the global Joule heating? The variability of electric fields and conductances from the AMIE model will be summarized as a function of magnetic latitude, magnetic local time, and geomagnetic activity. The analysis will provide guidance on the amount of variability being omitted in models that have coarser spatial and temporal scales. It also provides guidance on the geophysical processes that need to be understood before physics-based models can completely capture the variability and its effects. The ultimate objective is a better understanding of the coupling between the thermosphere, ionosphere, and magnetosphere during geomagnetically disturbed conditions.