We present simultaneous, independent measurements of the atmospheric semidiurnal lunar tide in neutral winds and plasma velocities from NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer, and in atomic oxygen 135.6 nm airglow measured by the Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk. Westward tidal winds near 115 km at the magnetic equator occur during part of the upward phase of the in-situ plasma drift.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMeso-scale plasma convection and particle precipitation could be significant momentum and energy sources for the ionosphere-thermosphere (I-T) system. Following our previous work on the I-T response to a typical midnight flow burst, flow bursts with different characteristics (lifetime, size, and speed) have been examined systematically with Global Ionosphere-Thermosphere Model (GITM) simulations in this study. Differences between simulations with and without additional flow bursts are used to illustrate the impact of flow bursts on the I-T system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Geophys Res Space Phys
November 2021
A quasi-2-day wave (Q2DW) event during January-February, 2020, is investigated in terms of its propagation from 96 to 250 km as a function of latitude (10°S to 30°N), its nonlinear interactions with migrating tides to produce 16 and 9.6-h secondary waves (SWs), and the plasma drift and density perturbations that it produces in the topside F-region (590-607 km) between magnetic latitudes 18°S and 18°N. This is accomplished through analysis of coincident Ionospheric Connections Explorer (ICON) measurements of neutral winds, plasma drifts and ion densities, and wind measurements from four low-latitude (±15°) specular meteor radars (SMRs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDF