Modeling Polar Cap F-Region Patches Using Time Varying Convection

Authors

Jan Josef Sojka, Utah State UniversityFollow
M. D. Bowline, Utah State University
Robert W. Schunk, Utah State UniversityFollow
D. T. Decker, Boston College
Cesar E. Valladares, Utah State University
R. Sheehand, Boston College
D. N. Anders
R. A. Heelis, University of Texas at Dallas

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Geophysical Research Letters

Volume

20

Issue

17

Publisher

American Geophysical Union

Publication Date

1993

First Page

1783

Last Page

1786

Abstract

Creation of polar cap F‐region patches are simulated for the first time using two independent physical models of the high latitude ionosphere. The patch formation is achieved by temporally varying the magnetospheric electric field (ionospheric convection) input to the models. The imposed convection variations are comparable to changes in the convection that result from changes in the B_y IMF component for southward interplanetary magnetic field (IMF). Solar maximum‐winter simulations show that simple changes in the convection pattern lead to significant changes in the polar cap plasma structuring. Specifically, in winter, as enhanced dayside plasma convects into the polar cap to form the classic tongue‐of‐ionization (TOI) the convection changes produce density structures that are indistinguishable from the observed patches.

Comments

Originally published by the American Geophysical Union. Note: This article appears in Geophysical Research Letters.

Recommended Citation

Sojka, J. J., M. D. Bowline, R. W. Schunk, D. T. Decker, C. E. Valladares, R. Sheehan, D. N. Anderson, and R. A. Heelis (1993), Modeling polar cap F‐region patches using time varying convection, Geophys. Res. Lett., 20(17), 1783–1786, doi:10.1029/93GL01347.