Problems associated with overlaying empirical particle precipitation and plasma convection patterns

Empirical models are valuable tools for use in science studies and practical applications. There are several empirical models in existence that describe particle precipitation and plasma convection in the high-latitude ionosphere. However, these various empirical models were developed separately with different data sets, and there are uncertainties with how to overlay independent empirical models for precipitation and convection. In this study, these uncertainties are demonstrated by analyzing an electron precipitation model and a plasma convection model. It is shown that discrepancies are dependent on geophysical parameters, and that these discrepancies can lead to the misalignment of the two models over the polar cap. Such inconsistencies may lead to non-physical representations in the modeling process.