High Latitude Thermosphere-Ionosphere Variability During the Solar Minimum IPY Period

The Thermosphere-Ionosphere Mesosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIMEGCM) driven by high latitude inputs from the Assimilative Mapping of Ionospheric Electrodynamics (AMIE) algorithm represents a true space-weather model that captures much of the variability in the global thermosphere and ionosphere. This coupled model has been run for the entire IPY period at solar minimum, and the ability of the model to reproduce thermosphere-ionosphere climate and weather at various locations has been quantified using incoherent scatter radar data and GUVI composition measurements. The differences between the model and the measurements provide insight into how the model might be improved in the future. Analysis of the AMIE results themselves also provides insight into the variability of the high latitude drivers during solar minimum conditions.