Sources of Thermospheric Variability During Solar Minimum
Abstract
Earth's thermosphere is driven by a combination of meteorological, magnetospheric, and solar forcing that exhibits significant variation from day-to-day. The relative importance of these drivers and their combined affects in determining daily thermospheric variability on global and local scales is an important science question particularly under solar minimum conditions. This paper performs ensemble sensitivity analysis to quantify sources of the day-to-day thermospheric temperature, composition, and mass density variability attributable to meteorological and magnetospheric forcing. The ensemble simulations are performed with NOAA's Whole Atmosphere Model that extends from Earth's surface to the exobase for a recent period with low-to-moderate levels of geomagnetic activity and low solar activity. The ensemble simulations are compared to thermospheric observations of temperature, composition, and mass density by the GOLD, ICON, TIMED/GUVI, and SWARM missions over the same period.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2020
- Bibcode:
- 2020AGUFMSA0100007C
- Keywords:
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- 3369 Thermospheric dynamics;
- ATMOSPHERIC PROCESSES;
- 2427 Ionosphere/atmosphere interactions;
- IONOSPHERE;
- 7944 Ionospheric effects on radio waves;
- SPACE WEATHER;
- 7969 Satellite drag;
- SPACE WEATHER