Ionospheric Modeling: Coupling to the Inner and Outer Magnetosphere

We present a self-consistent modeling study of the impact of storm-time penetration electric fields on the low- to mid-latitude ionosphere. The inner magnetosphere is described by the Rice Convection Model (RCM) and the ionosphere is described by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) code SAMI3. The codes are coupled electrodynamically through the electrostatic potential equation, and the storm is modeled via changes in the polar cap potential. Neutral wind driven electric fields are estimated from the Fejer/Scherliess quiet time model. A recent upgrade allows us to provide global coverage of the ionosphere (± 89° magnetic latitude) within the context of a single model. By imposing temporal changes in the polar cap potential we model electrodynamic forcing, e.g., the impact of storm-time penetration electric fields. The changing electric fields modify the F region equatorial E × B drift velocities. This causes the total electron content (TEC) in the daytime, mid-latitude ionosphere to increase by up to 35%. Furthermore the fountain effect is enhanced in the post-sunset period. This research is supported by ONR.